NP9262 - Getting Started

Hey there guys,

Most of you don't know me, but I've been on the forum quite some time, making some posts here and there and generally reading all I could on this fantastic machine, which I've just ordered. I know it may sound stupid given that the new version has just been presented at Cebit, but I didn't feel like the improvements would do much for me. It's generally overpowered as it is.

I've ordered the laptop from Xotic

So what I'd really like to know is, what do i do when i recieve it? which drivers do i need to install what do I need to install / remove straight away?

Forgive my excessive caution, but I don't want to screw anything up on a $3500 notebook...


Any help appreciated!

 

the system comes with software and drivers pre-installed based on what you ordered. there is no bloatware so you should not need to mess around with it.

 

^ did you specify in your options that you wanted windows pre isntalled and all drivers installed. if that is case then dont touch anything.

 

I'm pretty sure I did, I'll check with Justin.

great, are the drivers the latest? I'd just like to get an idea of the most popular driver configurations within NBR, or even the most popular utilities, like ntune or speedfan or safe overclockable settings, basically, what do i need to set it up to perform like i want / need it to.

 

no recommendations, anyone?

 

You can get the latest and stable drivers at www.sagernotebook.com

as for videocard drivers, I think you should get them from laptopvideo2go.

 

second i got my 9262 i did a complete reformat, just to make sure its started fresh (but then i had some issues with my raid driver config, which was a pain in the butt to figure out)

as for video card drivers, i'm using 174.70 because of my quadro card, theres a good OS system setup for the best free-ware and whatnot too on NBR

i dont really overclock my gpu(maybe i should, it is a little slow for me) so i can't help you there but i would like to hear some other responses that maybe i could grab onto as well

congrats on the new system, it's a beast

 

I'm pretty sure I did, I'll check with Justin.

great, are the drivers the latest? I'd just like to get an idea of the most popular driver configurations within NBR, or even the most popular utilities, like
ntune or yes
speedfan doesn't work on a np9262
safe overclockable settings, 600/900/1500
basically, what do i need to set it up to perform like i want / need it to.
for gaming.. 179.48 or 182.06 and even 185.20 is decent for gaming
benchmarking 3dmark06 would be 176.25/176.09. these are the best for it.
quads also have a slight problem benching 3dmarko6 with 9800m gtx's cards. not sure what why that is, but it is what it is....

185.20 can be tricky to install if both cards are not enabled before installing software.

 

Install Windows 7 Build 7048, 64-bit Version. You shouldn'd spoil such a brand new system with old OS's.

 

windows 7 is beta, so it can't be considered a mainline os...till it's official.

 

Ah, an unbeliever!

 

an unbeliever of what? been running windows 7 since 2 weeks or so after it came out. it's still not official, it's a beta.

 

Excellent! thanks for the help! I've never done any benchmarking before. To be honest i've never had a computer this powerful.. So i really don't know what to equip myself with.

So when i get the laptop, update the drivers and run 3dmark06 straight away?

 

run 3dmark at the default settings and also run it at your native resolution. sinc e that is where your going to try and play most of your games.

 

ok! i'll let you know when the benchmarks are done!

 

so you got it already?

 

no no! it'll be a while yet. Unfortunately I'm not in the US, so i won't get it immediately. It seems there aren't that many people with my configuration around.. I wonder why that is

 

your configuration huh? i got one similar to yours

 

Yep i noticed! it seems theres just you and me and maybe one or two other people with the GTX and 9650 on NBR. Those are some pretty nice scores btw! I assume it took you quite some time to get your 9262 that high

 

yeah, that it did.

 

Thats cool. I'm not looking to get top 3dmark scores, I'd rather have good real-world performance, and I expect this notebook to deliver!

 

Because it's expensive.

That said, john's CPU will also run substantially cooler than yours. And mine too, for that matter. The QX in his unit runs amazingly cool.

 

there's that much difference between the q and the qx?

 

if they allowed over clocking...yes! no over clocking...no
with the temps...yes
and i have just about all the top marks in gaming as well.
although im slowly starting to lose out on some of them to the 4850 and the dual 4870's. and is surely losing almost all of them when using AA. no AA winning just about all of them.

 

So ATi is really catching up. That's good I'd like to see some competition between the GPU makers again.

It's rumoured that the new gtx 260 / 280 cards will be comaptible with this laptop in the future, i have my doubts seeing what happened with the latest major card update (clevo said it needed a new mobo to support 9x series cards) will this be the same?

 

Got mu NP9262 already, ITS THE HEAT. Loving the SupCom @ full settings.

 

config? benchmarks?

 

Heres the Specs...

1xSAGER NP9262 Ultimate Custom Laptop (Built on Clevo D900C / D901C)
- Warranty: 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warra
- Software Bundle (Not Installed): None Standard
- "Medialess" Microsoft Office Sof: None Standard
- Operating System: Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit
- Notebook Cooler: None Standard
- Mouse / Keyboard Accessories: None Standard
- Fingerprint Reader: None Standard
- Port Replicator / Dock / Hub's: None Standard
- Spare AC Adapter: None Standard
- Battery: Smart Li-ion Battery (12 Cell)
- Case: Basic Black Business Case - Incl
- Sound Card: Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audi
- TV Tuner: None Standard
- Camera: Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Wireless Network Accessories: None Standard
- Wireless Network: Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 530
- Bluetooth: Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Memory Card Reader: Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/
- Floppy Drive: None Standard
- External Hard Drive (Back Up): None Standard
- Raid: HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- Third Hard Drive: None Standard -
- Secondary Hard Drive: ~ 500GB 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II
- Primary Hard Drive: ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 3
- Optical Drive: ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +
- Exterior Finish: Standard Finish
- Ram: ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) D
- External Monitor Video Adapter: None Standard
- Video Card: nVidia 9800m GTX 1,024MB PC
- Processor: ~Intel Core 2 QUAD Q9650 3.0GHz
- Dead Pixel Policy: Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Arctic Silver: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Display: 17" WUXGA "Glare Type" Super Clear


All in all, FRIGGIN AMAZING. Blazing speeds. I have already decided I am going to buy a second 9800m GTX card to make it SLI, but even without, I can run SupCom on highest settings @ 1920x1200 without too much slowdown. I mean come on, when you have a 60x60 map with thousands of units on the map at one time, what do you expect?

As far as the benchmark goes, I have yet to get futuremark on it yet. I'm currently serving our United States Air Force, Deployed to Iraq. 3 more months till i get home and have a decent internet connection.

I do have "Performance Test 6.1" from norton, but this beast seems to be dominating every benchmark they have loaded to it right now. Looks like it rates it with a "passmark" score. I can post the scores as an image here in a bit, but it gives the computer a passmark rating of 1668.1. Not sure what that puts it at in relation to some of the other high-end rigs, but it suits me just fine for now.

 

download PCmark(05/vantage) and 3dmark(06/vantage) to put things in relation!

 

Is it already to late to upgrade your order to a D900F machine?
It might be a good idea to wait 1-2 months...

 

it might not be too late but i don't want the 900f. the 901c is powerful enough & i need this laptop quickly while i can still have it shipped abroad and delivered to my house by my visiting relatives. It's a long story which i'll illustrate further tomorrow (it's 0023 here)

 

So, i said i was going to explain why I've ordered the 901c instead of waiting for the 900f

Well basically, I couldn't wait. I'm an engineering student, I study Automotive Engineering at the Turin Politecnic atm and I need something that will handle CAD/CAM, CFD and Matlab/Simulink with ease (as well as the occasional games). Moreover, I need something now, as I'm in the second semester and we're starting to use important software already.

However theres a few problems: I want a Clevo and I can't get it from a european reseller (Actually I could, but the price I'd have to pay is an extortion, $6000) This means I have to order it from the US, with Xotic. I can't just have it shipped here though. If I do, I'd have to pay up 40% of the value of the notebook in import tax, so I might as well have ordered it in Europe. So what do I do?

Xotic is sending it to a mail fowarding address in FL. The notebook will then be sent to Saudi Arabia where my dad currently works, and will come back to Italy with my mom after Easter. This huge circumnavigation is what forces me to get the d901c now. If i wait for the d900f, I'd get the notebook by christmas, and it would be too late for my studies, plus considering the 901c is already overpowered for my needs, and will likely be upgradable with the new GTX 2x0m cards at some point, or i could make do with a pair of ATI HD48x0 of the same MXM type. I don't think the 900f is worth the wait for me.

 

Umberto,

Points taken!

You will save time and money this way and will enjoy the power of the King of the laptops.

I bought my 9261 in October 2007 and still compliment myself with it. Actually, I live in the Netherlands but bought all my Sagers in the US and saved a lot of money this way.

 

Saving time and money is always a prerogative for a good engineer! (unless you work for Ford )

what bag do you use to carry your 9261 around Hanko Panko? I ordered the Targus XL from Xotic. They tell me it will fit but I'm not sure if they mean in the bag or in the padded compartment.

 

mmm... I may not be of great help to you there because I am using a good old leather Samsonite business case.

Together with power brick and other stuff my "bag" was once intercepted and refused as hand luggage at the airport. Besides that my shoulder strap snapped once. So yes, the thing may become quite heavy and if you have to walk distances you may benefit from a solid and comfortable system.

 

who carries when you can wheel it..

 

@Umberto we ingegne' sei di Torino? io sono di Taranto!

I was thinkin instead of mod my M570RU to a M570TU, to buy a new one from US (where prices are kinda "human") but anyone informed me about the import taxes!! if they are huge I think I'll do the mod..

However Umberto, have you thought if a Santech M3820 could satisfy your needs? (I could sell it for beginning of april by the way ) there is also Mycizmo it or DPCTech, or other deutch resellers..

 

as I said in a different post, there are good resellers in Europe as well you just need to search a little.

For example Rock sells what you are looking for 3800 USD inc. VAT

http://www.rockdirect.com/configureNotebook.php?pName=XTREME SL8&pSku=XSL8-Q9400

3 year warranty

Or XXODD in NL sells a slightly better configuration for 4500 USD
http://www.xxodd.nl/index.php?p=bestel&ID=338

2 year warranty

Prices in Europe are higher, especially because of the VAT and possibly some duty taxes as well. But if you search a bit, you will find what you are looking probably at an affordable price.

 

4500 compares unfavourably with 3500. thats a 1k price difference. I could go to the US and back for that much money..

The problem with Rock like I said in another thread is the currency. You have to convert Pounds to Euros, and the pound is the strongest currency there is in europe. A similar configuration to mine is 2550 GBP, or 2700 EUR, which is acceptable, (back when i started looking at this laptop a year ago the pound was much stronger). The processor is the 9550 and not the 9650. Small difference. but why should i pay the same for less?

we! si sono a torino ma sono di origini campanissime!!

 

There are other costs as well. Like Shipping which will cost more from US, warranty issues and possibly some other duty taxes. Also take in consideration the time in which you get the system.

Usually the price is Europe is the US price + VAT.

I know things are usually cheaper in US, I got my first Dell from US, but that is not always the case and it also depends from system to system.

As long as you are able to avoid paying any VAT taxes when getting something from US (you might be able to do so) and if time is not an issue. Sure, you can get the notebook from US, it will beat anything you find in Europe, that I would definitely agree on.

 

what is the difference between Sager NP9260, 9261, and 9262 ?
and what is the history for this number change?

Gophn, you should add my question to the Clevo Guide

 

a rough estimate at what was going on.
9260=7900/7950 gtx
9261=8800m gtx
9262= 9800m gtx

 

hmm, i thought the change to 9261 was due to quad-core CPU support?

dammn, we have to change motherboard everytime new GPU out??
speaking of upgradeable...

if D901C ever gonna get 280M GTX, there will be new mobo too i guess.
and rename it into Sager NP9263...

 

I don't think it's the same problem as 7950 --> 8800m switch. Wasn't that a MXM compatibility problem? I think the only problem between 9800m and a GTX 280m is a BIOS support issue? I don't know I'm just throwing out ideas.


My notebook was shipped!!!! Just a curiosity, which notebook cooler does Xotic ship out (the 17" one) The picture looks like a zalman

 

yes, the quad as well. i told you it was a rough estimate..

no more renaming im thinking. it's now d900f and m980nu

and the gtx280m is a different card than what your motherboard will take now. so if they don't produce type 4 gtx280 cards...we are out of luck.

 

whats the current MXM type of the gtx 280?

and can anyone tell me more on the xotic cooler?

 

GTX 280M use MXM version 3.0 (type B)
As for the type, we don't know yet. One thing for sure, D901C use type IV.

CMIIW...

 

again... the GTX 280M will be at least in two flavors:
- MXM Type-III/IV (2.x)
- MXM Type B (3.0)

the confirmation is that the current Clevo M570TU/ETU (with single MXM Type-IV slot) already has pre-orders for the GTX 280M.

 

so there's still hope for 280M in D901C then, eh?

If in the end D901C turns out to be upgradeable to 280M, then D901C will be the ultimate efficient and effective laptop ever made

 

like I said in other threads..

there is no doubt that the GTX 280M will fit in the D901C.... its the motherboard BIOS that might need an update to fully recognize the card(s).

if the D901C recognizes the GTX 280M and is stable, then there might not be a need for a BIOS update.