M860 Owners Would You Do It Again

I've been looking at all these positive and negative threads about the M860 but I think the real question to all you M860 owners is if you had the chance would you do it again or would you get a different computer. Also if you could give your top three reasons why you answered the way you did that would be great

 

No. I would rather go for a higher-priced laptop that has underclocked GPU, flashing laserpewpew lights so that I can have cracks and heat issues later.

I wouldn't take any other 15" laptop than the M860 unless someone put a gun to my head and told me to make my laptop battery last 8 hrs.

The 3 criterias for me:

1) Build Quality/Heat
Clevos have durability that Dell and other mainstream companies make you pay a ridiculous premium for. A lot of other notebooks are iffy as to heat issues; you might get a lucky one that runs cool or you might get a dud that heats up a lot -- and I was definitely looking for a stable and reliable platform.

2) Performance/User Accessibility
I wasn't going to pay $1,500+ for underclocked 260M [Asus] nor was a 9600 adequate for my needs. Also the last laptop I had was a Toshiba and to get at the fan you needed to take apart the entire laptop.

3) Design
Last thing I wanted was a laptop that made people think you were gaming even when you were doing serious work.

 

I would not buy this M860TU again, but an ETU

Absolutely love it. I`ve had it around 10 months now, and it still run most games at max settings (no aa or other useless settings) on 1680:1050 res.

 

I play ALOT OF high end games..

I would not buy the M860tu again..

i would get a Macbook pro 15inch with pref 9400m gt 9600m gt 512mb and what ever processor..

(i would make use of my student discount..)


as some one who plays alot of stalker/Wow/Fallout3/Residentevil5 etc... i have found that the heat/noise/clunkyness/finish of the clevo is not worth the 20-30% more performance you will get from a 9800m GT or 260m GT vs a 9600mgt + 9400gt in SLi which is what the apple macbook pro 15inch has

even if the apple costs abit more.. i would get it.. really love their new laptops.

and at the end of the day.. this laptop is 2 powerfull..

while some games surely can use abit more power to max out.. you would be happyer running them abit lower and having a nicer laptop...

and you would be just as happy if not more happy running games like World of Warcraft / SC2 / Diablo3/TF2/L4D2/HL2/HL3.. on a Apple macbook pro (which is realisticly what you will maily be using this gaming notebook for the next 4-5 years)..

Fact is

the extra power from a 9600m GT - 9800m GT / 260m GT is not needeed (even while i am a extreamly hardcore PC gamer)

the extra noise is not needed

the extra heat is not needed

the extra issues are not needed

the extra waight is not needed

the extra bad finish is not needed

the extra fact of a dim poorly lit screen is not needed



i strongly sugest you look for a high finish notebook with abit less grunt.. PC gaming recomended specs have droped alot in the last year... i blame crysis for my M860tu and wish i could have my money back and a brand new macbook pro 15 infront of me ..

crys and runs out of room.

(on a side note the m860tu is a lovely laptop if u want to tinker around and upgrade it at a later date .. if you want to do that *as well as overclock...mod...etc* then you should still get a m860tu .. but if you just want to get a nice laptop and use it heaps and not edit or mod it or playaround with it 2 much get a macbookpro for the love of god!! live my dream)

 

if they remake the M860TU better, I will.

 

Huh?

I thought SLI meant two identical cards--

20-30% - is that really all?

Why do you still have the M860TU then?

BTW, the 9600gt+9400gt "SLI" config is $1999.

No thanks-

 

You ever tried to game on a MBP? That thing will melt your crotch if you use it on your lap. Not to mention the design of a MBP, I personally think they are rather ugly laptops.

I'd buy the M860TU over and over again if I had the money. I did almost bought the Asus G50V instead of the M860TU because it had dual HDDs and a numpad, but the shiny casing and build quality put me off. Currently there is no 15" laptop that I would rather have.

1) Build quality - it is the best I've ever come across, I've had MacBooks, Dells etc. and nothing I've owned has come anywhere near this.

2) Upgradeability - it is so easy to open up the back and clean it out or replace the most common items, and Clevo is good at updating the BIOS so you can stick the latest CPU/GPU in it.

3) Not sure what to put here without sounding like I'm just copying everything, but yes, Style - I don't want a typical glossy "Gaming" laptop where the whole thing lights up and screams nerd as I'm not 13 anymore. I want something clean and sleek that nobody notices but has enough power to game and de/encode videos (while staying cool) and the M860TU does that perfectly.

 

In a heartbeat. It's the first laptop I've ever owned that can game, yet not draw the attention of others. It runs cool (idles in the mid 30's and peaks at about 72 to 73C), doesn't require much battery use, and in powersaver can get 3 hrs of battery time. It doesn't hurt that it has a GTX 260m and the ability to have 8GB RAM either. I'm not one to drool over lights or "pretty aesthetics" so much as I am over something that can get the job done right every time. It is a bit of a tinkerer's dream, a bit on the heavy side, and not drawn by its prettiness, but it's not aimed at the average user... it's aimed at the user who wants something that is portable enough to bring around yet can game at much the same settings as many desktops (SLi ones omitted). That's why I love my m860etu / np8662, and I'd buy another in a heartbeat... only this time with a quadcore!

Jason

 

Heathkidd - I suggest you sell the laptop if you dislike it so badly and get another laptop, and oh, gtfo of Sager/Clevo forum

 

Had this laptop since September last year, to substitute for an M15x (the worst mistake I ever made in my life... the M15x, that is!!!).

The laptop is not perfect (and I dare say, none is), but is for sure, a jewel amongst its class. I would def buy it again (the ETU, with the m260) as the minor problems it has are only small shadows that get blinded by this star of a laptop.

Best laptop I have ever had and seen... FACT. You won't regret it.

Good luck in your choices,
M

 

The only reason you would want to get a ETU is if you want a quad-core CPU.

the videocards are the same in both revisions.

so you can just get a GTX 260M (or 280M if you are daring) and pop it in the M860TU without issues.... just make sure to update the BIOS.

 

No, I would try something else (.... IF there's something else...) rather than become a loyal customer. I need to try more brands before I decide to do such a thing. I'll probably try Alienware, MSI or possibly Arima if I can somehow get a barebone from somewhere...

 

There is no other laptop that meets my requirements, the Asus G51 is the closest, but it fails due to it's 16:9 screen and proprietary GPU format.

 

Over a year ago you trolled M15x users that they should get a Macbook Pro instead. Why didn't you follow your own advice?

 

First of all, none of those games are very "high-end", and.. why would anyone be playing HalfLife 2 in 2014??
Not to mention... HL3?? Theres been no mention of that at all. Were still waiting on HL2:E3.
You're definitly not a hardcore gamer, no 9600m is sufficient for a real gamer.

Would I do it again? Most definitly, although as someone else already mentioned, in reality I'll most likely try another brand, just to get a better feel of the laptops on the market.

 

in the blink of an eye, yes i would but with the 260m instead.
best laptop ive owned. like milcs im an AW convert and wont go anywhere else again as imo clevo are the best out there.

 

Haha, that's really funny..... One thing I forgot to say is that I'm not buying a laptop that doesnt let you open it without voiding the warranty... so I might not have many options in the future and go with the next 15" clevo.

 

He's just talking out of his a** -- For all we know, he doesn't even have an M860TU, just trying to make a conversation.

 

Hands down the best notebook i have ever owned, ive had a compaq, asus and dell's SXPS16 and this notebook is by far the better in respects to build quality, gaming and multitasking, i would buy again in a heartbeat, my dell had the HD3670 and it is a good performace class gpu but if you are serious about gaming the GTX260m is the perfect choice in a 15.4" machine.......its not perfect id love to have seen a backlit keyboard but its pritty darn close.

 

I recently sold my M1730, for a while considered a 15 incher including this. But decided to be sticking with low end laptop for now, until new stuff comes out in the summer.

I'm sure Sager would have to refresh M860 then; with new specification, etc. So just going to save money for uni, and not going to get anything that would be outdated in few months time.

But if Novatech clears M860ETU £700 like they did with M860TU, then who knows.

 

I would definitely do it again.

There is definitely issues with this notebook (how the top of the keyboard is held in, HDD heat, fan noise grinding for some) but if you look past

 

Agreed. In fact the only difference I would have made is that I should have waited an extra few months for the ETU instead as it opens up more options. That'll be rectified in the next few months but really I have no reason to - The machine's a real talent as it is.

 

I almost hate to ask... nah I'll ask anyways - When would a new Clevo 15" come out? What upgrades might it have? I am really considering getting this laptop, but would love a lit keyboard, etc.

 

Clevo's next plans for a notebook in this niche is the W860CU. No pics as of yet but it's suppose to be a 16" instead (so presumably slightly bigger) using the Capella platform. The GPU is likely to be a 260M but it will use the 3.0b format rather than the old 2.1 config.

 

I don't really think lit keyboards are Clevo's style. Even the M980NU which sports flashy lights that you usually wouldn't see on a Clevo doesn't have a lit keyboard.

Well we can always hope.

 

definitely...but...after drawing all of the juice inside the m860etu until it even cannot play latest games at 640x480
maybe new 15" clevos with GTX460M inside?

still wondering whether the one who is bashing m860tu actually owns the laptop or even used it before?

 

If they see the errors of their upsizing ways then mayhap, though I think many of the people on this board will still be trying to mode 4**M series into their old M860's by then.

 

This is my first notebook ever, while I was working and slaving for 2 months during the summer of 08, I did research on high end notebooks everyday till i got my final paycheck mid august.

In the end, it was between the 2.400 Euro mx15 or the 1750 euro 860tu
I went for the 860tu and never regretted the choice, no buyers remorse what so ever, and now that I've had it for a year lemme tell you...thru all the this laptop of mine has been thru( Airports,extreme weather conditions, school,work, trains busses and taxi's oh my,week long lanparties,Africa)It not only looks like new, all of the components perform how they did as when it first booted up.

The 860TU is a good machine, and I would buy one again if givin the choice

/rant

 

I believe the W860CU is a 15.6" 16x9 widescreen as opposed to the M860TU's 15.4" 16x10 widescreen.

 

I havent gotten mine yet. Should be here monday. But after hearing everyone in this thread talk about how they love it, makes me feel more comfortable with my purchase. Now if only UPS would update its site for me so i know where my baby is at i will be more relaxed. LOl. this thread is a good one.

 

This is the best notebook I've owned. The sleek, brushed style gets me compliments, and of course it performs well. This is my second M86, but only because I needed to sell the first for extra investment capital. So yeah, I guess I did do it again, because I bought a new one within months.

Just to clear up an incorrect statement, even the 9700M GTS or 9800M GTS is more than a 30% increase over the 9600M GT. It was test long ago that 8700M GTs in SLI can't match up to a single 8800M GTX, and one 9600 isn't in the ballpark.

15" and 17" gaming notebooks (enthusiast level) are heavy, and the fans will be loud under heavy load. You need to come in understanding this.

 

Mine is at a UPS facility 2 hours from my house and is scheduled to deliver tomorrow!

Nice to hear good things (and the bad) from current M860 owners.

 

I have seen two laptops so far that use lower performing GPU's than the NP8662 and both of them idled at much higher temperatures than the NP8662's GTX 260M, in fact they idled over 20C higher and maxed out up to 15-20C hotter.

I have no idea what you are talking about since during gaming, the noise is not that bad on the Sager, the heat is even lower than other lower spec laptops I have used before and the design is far from clunky. As for the 20-30% more performance, it is more like 40-50% more performance.

The Sager NP8662 is for gamers who do not want to be forced to constantly lower resolutions and / or settings in games, it is for gamers who want to enjoy all that a game has to offer including all of the eye candy which adds to the experience.

I would buy this laptop again without a doubt, I love it. No hardcore gamer would swap that for a Macbook Pro at all.

 

Exactly, and I'm sure that a 9400 + 9600 in SLI would create MUCH more heat than a single 260m, with less performance.

 

I think the next time I purchase a system, it'll be a workstation notebook and a gaming desktop. So, no.

 

You mean a more mobile notebook right? Since a real workstation notebook is kind of redundant if you also have a desktop with enough juice to run ALL your games.

Real gamers use laptops. Allow me to illustrate:

 

Good to know it won't be too different. Just wish that Clevo would release some images of the darn thing...

 

Were they not in the computex 2009 videos?

 

All I saw was recaps of D900, M980 and the W870

 

You're right, the W870CU was there, but not the 860.