New batch of Clevo notebooks for 2015-2016 wishes/expectations?

I hope Zen is decent and in the very least competitive on some levels.

 

I do miss the days where amd had mxm gpu's and it was a option for upgrading in notebooks. Ive been scouting mxm for quite a while I guess and now I have reached my 5 year cycle and I am very ready to walk away with something. I don't just hope amd has some nice chips on the way that will compete with the other brands but I also hope its designed so we can use them as an option and switch back and forth like how it was 3 or so years ago until it ended. Having owned both amd and intel laptops I have no bias and know they both served me pretty darn well wince they are both still functioning with a combined age of 15 years.

Im hoping to see more conformation soon, the Macbook 15 pro just released yesterday here in the states and its surprising, not just the release but knowing it was a refresh that's not really a big improvement over the 2014 models imo. I want more announcements from other brands especially Clevo now that apple got the ball rolling. The one great thing is knowing the zm "batman" books are still a great option for fully custom books and I hope to see more models in that manor such as a revamped sm-a style book. I think the c sm-a could get a little slimmer now and maybe a Intel Skylake or Amd Hbm along with mxm combo even if the cpu is soldered on would be a great alternative for those who want a notebook that balances power with efficiency. Both the sm-a and zm are on my watchlist.

 

.... they... still... exist? Do you even do any research about anything? Hell, Eurocom sells P750ZM and P770ZM machines with AMD M290X cards.

 

@ Eurocom is Canadian based I'm in the USA so I typically search localized vendors when looking for quotes and it actually has been years since local vendors have provided Amd mxm options to the best of my knowledge. Asking me if I even research anything is pretty darn rude but anyway rude or not you did ask me so my answer to you is yes I do what I can pal LOL.

Anyway to everybody who's curious on skylake info..I found some articles to read:

http://www.kitguru.net/components/c...ule-revealed-chips-to-be-showcased-in-august/

There is also a new owners lounge for what appears to be a newer version of the clevo pxxxZM apparently releasing sometime later on this year with thunderbolt, ddr4, and according to this report will use a Skylake motherboard. And includes info from conversations discussed by users like Lunap, Profx, d2, Prema, and more from the original zm threads so check it out:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ers-lounge-welcome-to-the-new-batcave.776183/

Theres also a new thread right here on the topic of possible leaked info on the skylake mobile chips including mobile xeon processors:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/mobile-skylake-launching-september-2015.776276/

 

Good info generally, but the skylake release time table is standard. If it is a Q3 release, it is always August to September for the back to school sales boost each year... So not news until exact date is announced.

On the "new zm" section, it isn't ZM, it is DM. Aside from that, Ethram removed it as an owner's lounge until the official announcement, as it is unconfirmed until then.

Finally, the mobile Xeon thing is interesting, but it is probably knee-capped compared to an enthusiast mobile chip, which makes the Xeon chip possibly worthless (in comparison to enthusiast laptops). What was more interesting on that page was the HK chip (instead of HQ). It's on a 68xx instead of 69xx also. Is it unlocked, etc.?

Edit: I don't mean the Xeon mobile is worthless. It won't likely have the avx 3.2 512 bit instruction set (reserved for the high performance sector), but may incorporate the different tdp setting for avx2, something that consumer chips do not have (think how much hotter prime95 runs vs standard usage. Then imagine it levelled by lowering tdp just when using avx2. More complicated than that, but end user doesn't have to set anything to the max heat possibly generated to extend chip life.).

 

Eurocom is based in Canada, but has an American outlet. There's also nothing preventing you from purchasing a M290X from RJTech or somewhere similar and a heatsink designed for it (like the 8970M heatsink for the PxxxSM-A machines) and putting it. The M290X is a pointless card to offer now because it the 970M is better in every way (power draw, performance, heat, vRAM size, etc) as well as being the same price or maybe even cheaper, so Sager who deals in bulk buying the most, doesn't bother with them. People who buy Sager's stock obviously won't sell them.

Also, your original statement was "I wish AMD offered MXM GPUs and they were an option for upgrading in notebooks". You did not mention a single thing about wishing they were for sale with notebooks. I only mentioned Eurocom as Eurocom was a place that still sold them as an option. Their MXM GPUs still exist.

 

Yeah fair enough that makes sense.

So going back to this rumored skylake xeon mobile processor here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/mobile-skylake-launching-september-2015.776276/

Could this be a socked cpu for notebooks different from the other chips? I sure hope so because it really is sad to think all future cpu's from intel will be bga. I would not mind a true successor to the intel 4710mq-4940mx socket. If its not then perhaps it could very well be a chance for AMD to step in and supply some much needed mobile zen sockets that will allow for cpu swapping. Just my take on it but if Intel decides to do away with all socket based mobility then AMD should use that to thier advantage and gain a footing into the mobile sector and introduce a mobile Zen/ARM that will allow for cpu swapping since intel won't.

 

Intel wont create a separate socket just for a low volume product, it will be the same chip with certain features enabled.

 

As some others have said, anything with a high refresh rate screen in 17 or higher size. Also 1080p, 1440p, or 4k.

4k 120hz is crazy its true, but easy scaling to 1080p 120hz for gaming, and 4k otherwise might be really nice. And if the graphics ever catch up to that, would be sitting in a nice postion.

D2 Ultima, how did you get a mythologic lappy with a 120hz screen? Is that an option? Off topic I know, just curious.

 

Luna posted a couple links awhile back, one of which mentioned cannonlake mq. If the link is correct, they'll have socket mobile processors Q3 2016.

 

My model is the P370SM3, which is required to be sold with a 120Hz screen. I also have a built in 3D emitter and a pair of 3D glasses for it, but most of the games I play aren't too good with 3D anymore. I did play most of ME1 in 3D though.

 

I was able to verify the legitimacy and made it back into an owner's lounge. It is a real model and it is coming with Skylake.

I cannot, however, divulge anything further.

 

Oh, forgot a couple things...

1. Better speakers.
2. Better soundcard.

The screen is "average" but not bad. Anyway, if they improve those things, I'd be happy.

 

All I want:
* updates to HDMI 2 and displayport 1.3
* ability to handle 64GB+ RAM. 128 GB would be nice.
* all ports towards the back of the chassis. Nothing worse than all the damned cables sticking out of the side.
* a much smaller power supply, with higher quality cabling that isn't as stiff as the usual single-core junk that is shipped with consumer-level power supplies
* couldn't care less about GPU power, I'm not a gamer. But the ability to drive external 4k screens would be a bonus.
* 18" 4k screen would be great!
* a quiet fan

Just a wish....

 

Ram capability is dependent on the tech, so DDR4 will support higher capacities as intel have improved their memory controller. Smaller bricks are hotter bricks, there is just a certain level of electronics needed to deliver that power.

You can drive 4k displays at the moment off the current machines.

 

I agree with most of this but I prefer my cables away from the hot air jets. Since most clevos have back vents I actually think side cables make more sense and I like my connections to be visible at all times. Cant see whats going on at the back with the screen up and also the cables if angled wrong can actually block the hot air vents causing overheating. I guess it comes down to the machine and personal prefrence.

 

Btw, I updated the Zen processor discussion (EDIT 3) to include information pertaining to Lisa Su, IBM, GloFo, and Samsung (copy and paste from my past in the amd m300 thread).

 

Having the machine propped up a little can avoid that issue.

 

I'm looking for

• Option for no Optimus so it works well with VR. Basically you need a direct output from the GPU, not routed through the integrated graphics.
• PCIe 3.0 SSD support.
• Latest and Greatest GPU and CPU.
• High-gamut screen. Something above 1080p would be nice too.
• Good cooling so it's not super loud.

 

Time to drop Optimus and go to manual switching.

When they do that I'll probably come back to their fold with my next machine.

 

The PxxxZM series uses no optimus as do the dual GPU machines.

 

I wouldn't mind switchable graphics but I would never buy a system with Optimus.

 

I personally like the internal screen with optimus for battery saving and then all the external ports hooked into the dedicated GPU. I hope clevo adopt that route if they want to avoid MUX.

 

Are there any current laptops which have this setup?

 

No, at the moment all clevo/sager machines have optimus or don't entirely.

 

Are there non-Clevo laptops that go that route even? I am aware of MUX but not split ports.

 

All the MSI models do this, from what I remember. The GT60/GT70 and I assume GT72 (though that has a MUX as well). I'm unsure how the GS series works, but I see no reason to regress it.

If running dGPU only, you get full NCP options. Here's a screenshot from my friend's GT70 with an external screen plugged in and her main screen disabled: http://puu.sh/i0ZLI/8f338860d6.png

Do remember though, using this, if you use external screens on battery for some reason (and yes, people actually do this) you're entirely defeating the purpose of Optimus.

 

No I'm talking about the config Meaker mentioned. Optimus for internal screen and dGPU only for external.

 

Right. GT60 and GT70 do not have MUX switches. Their iGPU and Optimus works for internal screens, and all external screens are run through their dGPU only. If you plug in an external and disable the internal (like, closing the laptop lid while setting windows power plan to "do nothing") then the full NCP becomes unlocked. GT72 has a MUX switch, but as far as I know it CAN use Optimus as well and might be wired a similar way. I am pretty sure the GS series and GE series also have a similar wiring to the GT60 and GT70

 

GT72 has zero Optimus. It simply isn't there.

 

For things like using CAD programs or others that don't like optimus on the internal screen it's nice to have the option of not having it at all.

 

Heck no, Optimus is the end of all fun:

No 120Hz, no 3D, no g-sync, no VR, no SLI, no DSR, higher latency, shadow play & CAD problems...the list goes on and on.

 

MUX may become more popular as a result if tech like g-G-sync really starts taking off.

 

Only if its done via a physical hardware switch (mux) to engage either iGPU or dGPU even before switching the system on...
Everything else, like doing it on BIOS level is big trouble...because of the stupid mux on BIOS level some AW (M17xR3 & M18xR1) can not even be upgraded to GTX9 MXM cards.

 

So pure MUX. Okay. Good to know; I was not sure if it could be enabled/disabled in the BIOS or something, because the older Alienwares like the AW17 R1 could have done that (as far as I remember).

 

is it possible to run like an external gpu like what dell has the amp on any of the current Sager/Clevo models..? np9377sm-a? will this be possible on any of the new models and how would that work? I am interested in that deff, I also wish there were some USB ports on the left side not just the back and right side...and I would love to see some quality IPS displays that are capable of playing AAA games with no ghosting etc..

 

eGPU solutions have been around since as early as 2008. They're not as GOOD as the solutions the current gen Alienware or MSI's GS30 use, but they exist so it's not exactly impossible.

That being said, with 980M SLI in terms of raw power you're unlikely to be able to get a strong enough GPU in the eGPU solution at this time. Maybe if the R9 390X comes out and it's JUST THAT FAST... but I doubt it. It is also unlikely to show up in any of the new models, and for the SLI model it'll be a mostly moot point. Single GPU systems might benefit, but you'll likely need to add extra size to compensate for internal eGPU solutions, and the P7xxZM models (and their refreshes) are unlikely to try it.

 

@Brent R.

The LGA refresh models with their Thunderbolt 3 ports will allow for much better eGPU solutions than the current AW 2x PCIe graphic dock.

As for using eGPU on your P377SM-A take a look here:

http://forum.techinferno.com/forum.php#notebooks-e-gpu-discussions

 

Still you are better off having a pair of 980Ms in your beastly notebook rather than a titan-x external if you have the slots anyway.

 

Has the thunderbolt 3 been confirmed already for the dm model?

 

Sorry to confuse everyone I am not looking for eGPU for this laptop I have no, I am talking 5-6 years down the road maybe MAYBE in this or for a newer model laptop which I hope to not have to think about for quite a while but thanks everyone

 

5-6 years from now, our CPUs are likely to be exceedingly weak, and any GPU attached to them will likely be heavily bottlenecked. Even with all of Intel's churning out of CPU architectures, 6 years ago in 2009 the best CPU was a quadcore i7 1st gen enthusiast line... and those are terrible compared to what we have today.

 

Hei! That's not true!
Stop insulting my 940XM . It's doing a fantastic job.

 

My machine is 5+years old and is not terrible compared to whats on the market today. The major thing holding me back from playing some games and or better performance is the gpu.

 

I didn't say it's not doing a fantastic job, but you would probably be amazed at the improvements even a 4710MQ would bring to you, for example. Depends on the game of course, but it is true.
Also, I was directly comparing CPU power to CPU power, not exactly how well it does for people.

As an owner of an i7-950 I am INFORMING YOU that my haswell spanks it so hard it could be on a sitcom. I would be BEYOND held back if my 780Ms were using that i7-950. While your GPU may be your heaviest limiting factor right now, if you shoved a 980M in there, you'd be severely limited by any CPU from 5 years ago.

 

Fair enough, but consider this:

Spoiler: mobile processors

Sure, twice as fast, but these things are 5½ years old by now. This isn't following Moore's law; for that we'd have to see ~3.5x the speed of the 920XM. If anything, it's the gpu's that have kept pace, far surpassing their brethren:

Spoiler: mobile gpu's (of comparable era)

 

Actually my CPU scores about 5000 points in 3dmark06 and 20% more then most average synthetic benchmarks for this model due to its OC.
Truth be told, even the lowest quad core from today is better than my 940XM running at 2.7 GHz. However... my CPU is 5 years old and still not that far behind (6300 in 3dmark06 vs 5000 ).

As t456 said, this isn't something to be happy about. For me it's clear that the lack of competition has stiffened CPU performance gains.

 

3DMark06 isn´t the best comparison tool for modern tech. Compare fps in Halflife 2 while you´re at it?

 

Surprising as it my seem, the 3dmark06 CPU benchmark is rather accurate in predicting performance. I am only talking about the CPU score, Graphics are irrelevant here.

 

I didnt know that, sorry for being snarky.