LPC-Digital NP9150 Thanksgiving Special

Well after much deliberation I pulled the trigger on the NP9150


i7-3840QM
GTX 680M 4GB GDDR5
HD 16:9 LED-Backlit MATTE 95%
240GB Intel® 520 Series SATA 6.0Gb/s SSD
16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz - 2 X 8GB
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
Extra Power Supply


A bit more processor than I was expecting to get but what the heck right? I'll probably add a few things like an e-sata or msata SSD later as the storage here is a bit light... but she will be fast!

I just hope I'm not going to have any keyboard issues...

 

Keyboard issues?

Very nice build!

 

Just stuff I've read about RMA activity around the keyboard and "ghosting". You never know with forums since you just get the problems and nobody posts threads like "boy my keyboard is great today". If that SteelSeries upgrade materializes I might jump on it.

Can't wait to get this.

 

You're exactly right, It'd be awesome to get more "my computer works perfectly" reviews but you don't want to take time off from playing games or enjoying the computer to do so. From what I've been referenced by customers, some like the steelseries and some don't. I've had people switch either way and happy with the outcome, but at this time SteelSeries has asked every reseller offering this option to desist from doing so as they're designed for MSI units. I'd contact your reseller and see if they have any available, we're just not allowed to list them on our sites.

 

I have the steel series kb for my NP9150 and I can tell you that the ghosting issue still exists.

The only thing the got better is that it misses a lot less keystrokes compared to the original kb.

 

Ghosting would be a hardware issue independent from the keyboard, which is why it still persists for you. For some reason though not everybody experiences it on their machine. As of yet I haven't seen a definitive reason why but it is strange.

 

Thanks Derek, I'll certainly give the stocker a chance. Yes I understood the ghosting is really the MB keyboard controller. The RMA activity I was referring to was around individual keys not functioning at all. I'm going to assume its all a bit blown out of proportion otherwise it would be a universal complaint that FPS games are completely unplayable etc. I'm not seeing that. Internet paranoia!

Has anyone broken out the Dremel to create new fan intakes? I'm thinking of modding the case a bit with some cutting + mesh to improve airflow. Keep her cool!

 

That'd be very interesting to see! Sager already has a very good air flow pattern that I wouldn't advise modifying by creating your own intakes, but definitely let us know your results with pics and temp measurements.

 

I will try to exceed the engineering quality shown here:

 

I see absolutely nothing wrong with that example...

 

Just got my 9150 yesterday and no issues with missing keyboard strokes. I have been seeing a lot less complaints since the new keyboard revision. Also temps are pretty descent(680m). Nothing over 78c in benchmarks, 74c while gaming. I do have ic diamond paste though. Those were two things I was really worried about.

 

The LPC-Digital "special" comes with IC Diamond on the CPU and GPU. I'm stoked for this - thanks for the news on the keyboard!

 

Those temps seem pretty good, I was thinking about getting a notebook cooler but if the temps stay that low on mine I guess I won't need a cooler. I'll find out tomorrow.

Feels like time been going by slower ever since I got the email saying the laptop has been shipped.

 

The wait is worth it.....believe me.

 

Nice. I decided to order the P150EM from Pro-Star on tuesday, which saved me $260 or so, but the CA tax was almost a dealbreaker. I don't have any IC Diamond but I still hope I can break 8000 on 3dmark11 with the 680M.

 

8000! That seems a bit high no? Stock should be in the 6100 range I believe. I don't plan on OC'ing this thing much myself hence the upfront spend on the CPU. I got a good 4 years out of my Gateway FX p7805u and I'm hoping for similar longevity.

 

From what I've seen, it's possible to break 8000 at 1000/2400.

You will probably be able to use the NP9150 for 4 years, but it's capabilities will be seriously reduced after 1.5-2 years. I bought my M11x R2 in March '11 and it already needs to be replaced.

 

I tend to create a backlog anyway so if its capable of current games through 2014 it will last. I'm off playing NWN2 after it "baked" in the patch cycles for 3 years. Doesn't even stress my current laptop much. I want the NP9150 to play Skyrim, Two Worlds 2 and the Witcher stuff on ultra settings. If it can do that (and thankfully it can) I'll be very happy. I don't see anything in the pipeline that will be more stressful than that in 2013 at least.

 

The capabilities won't be affected, the same stuff it does now (play whatever game at whatever settings) will remain the same barring any graphical updates like they did with WoW and Minecraft. It won't be able to keep up with the newest games at the highest settings for very long, but you'll still be able to enjoy the same games you enjoy today.

 

When I said "capabilities" I meant the capability to max out most current games @1080p/60. Hopefully the P150EM will support the GTX 780M.