Notebook Maintenence

So I just bought a Sager NP5125 (probably one of the last ones, it discontinued the day after I ordered it)

I dealt with a terrible Toshiba that I overused the crap out of. I didn't pay for it, I kinda comandeered it from my family as they had bought an HP laptop to use and they dont game like I do. So you know what they say, if you didn't work for it yourself you won't take care of it as well. So now I got my first job and bought this brand new beautiful thing (not the best gaming notebook out there, but meets my standards and more) and I was looking on how to keep it fresh. Yes, I need maintenence advice.
things like:
when is it best to shut it down?
should I keep in sleep all the time like I did my old one?
is it bad to keep it plugged in all the time on high performance mode?
how often should i defrag?
how do i use the air duster, do i open the bottom and do it directly into the fan or do i do it into the vent?
how often should i dust?
how many hours of gaming is the point of overuse?

basically stuff like that and anything else that will help keep it running in top shape for as long as possible. its basic stuff i know, but i did NOT take care of my last one

 

its quite a new model so cant see it being discontinued yet. its been updated in the uk with the 425M graphics card but still keeps the same model number.

i dont use sleep or the dreaded hibernate so cant comment on these but to be honest if your not using it for a few hours then i think its best to turn it off.

i always have my m860tu on high performance but as youve got the dual optimus technology then i think it decides for you if you need internal or dedicated graphics and switches automatically.

if you are keeping it plugged in all the time then its a good idea to remove the battery as it will prolong its life.

defrag normally works in the background but the inbuilt is not the best in the world and certainly not the fastest. once a week would be plenty.

looking at the 17" version i think you will need to remove the base plate to clean out around the fan.
cleaning out once every 2-3 months should be fine but it depends on if you are in a dusty atmosphere.

as its a semi gaming lappy you should be able to play until your hearts content. always worth monitoring the temperatures as a rise means cleanup time or something else.

take a look HERE for free monitoring tools.

most of all enjoy.
any probs were here to help.

 

I know, you've told me this 4 times already

custom gaming laptops - Welcome to Sager Notebooks

go there and see for yourself

btw, Kobalt's is way more expensive then Sager's own website, I bought it because it was cheap and powerful. I payed less then a thousand for it, and it was worth every penny. when i get more money I will definitley buy a more powerful system

 

after lots of post you do forget sometime who youve replied to.

ive updated the above post if your interested.

interesting them discontinuing it.

 

haha wasnt bashing on you man i understand. i appreciate the advice though i definitley would have bought a much more powerful machine if i could afford it

thanks a lot for the advice too
i had no idea you could take out the battery and that would work though, ive never heard of that.
all you guys are making me feel bad calling it a semi gaming laptop haha im already wishing that i had a better GPU

 

heres quite a good read about optimus FAQ http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/537822-nvidia-optimus-faq-nvidia.html

 

thanks for that bro

i just leave my GPU on all the time, and let Optimus do the switching, I have no need for running the IGP since I'm always on the computer when its plugged in. thats fine, right?

 

yup thats about it.

 

sick dude. thanks a lot

 

hey man btw, my processor says it has Turbo Mode. what is that? is that overclocking? how do i use it and would it harm my computer?

 

it works automatically.

Increasing Performance with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology

 

congrates on the new lappy, enjoy!

Yep! You appreciate things a lot more when you work for it, versus having something given to you.

I turn my laptop on when I get home and leave it on till I go to bed, typically that equates to 4 hours.

I don't because the laptop would still be using energy, so I would be inclined to leave it plugged in. I always unplug my laptop when away from home, just for safety reasons. Also I have an SSD so the boot time is 17 seconds, which really is very bearable for me.

That's the only way I use mine, the battery for me is strictly used as a UPS.

Since I use an SSD for my OS and game files it never gets defragged, However I do once in a while defrag my data drive. I would schedule a defrag once a week or two if using a regular spindle hard drive for OS, program files and data.

I would once a week do a quick air dusting through the vent, then every few months take the bottom off and do a more detailed cleaning. Be careful to keep your fans from spinning or at least very fast, While I have no experience of this, I have heard that it can kill your motherboard. With my electronics background it does make sense and is worthy advice.

I dust weekly to keep it looking nice.

Well I would say when the fingers start to get really sore or the eyes are so bloodshot that you can't see very well any longer. In other words there is no time that is to long to use your machine.

 

too true

 

dont have much answer as those guys since im new like you but had an old gaming laptop which is more like being passed in the family , anyway this would really help:
USB NEW POWERED COMPUTER VACUUM MINI KEYBOARD CLEANER - eBay (item 320615601753 end time Dec-10-10 02:23:01 PST)
its been keeping the old laptop clean for years but not sure about the quality since we might got lucky and got a good one and maybe you are not lucky , btw i ordered another new for me (the old one moves with the laptop ) it should arrive in the few days ahead.
oh i almost forgot to mention that its really really really cheap

 

That piece of garbage isn't going to clean it to the level you want clean.

Last paragraph. Buy a duster that will get the job done, apart from blowing the keys off your keyboard. Over 70CFM through a ~3cm diameter port, or even a 1cm port with the nozzle attachments makes any USB duster/vacuum or can of "compressed air" look like the last computer you had before you picked up a Clevo. http://forum.notebookreview.com/5622608-post5.html

 

When you feel tired.

No. That's a characteristic of laziness.

Is it bad to keep it on battery all the time on high performance mode? Keep your notebook plugged in to the wall unless you have a pressing reason to use the battery.

I use Auslogics to defrag and auto shutdown before I get my beauty sleep every night. For HDD's, the more you defrag, the better. It keeps your MFT from moving around all the time. It is best done when you or your computer isn't doing anything.

Point and shoot? Blowing air through the exhaust vent will only scatter dust back into your notebook and spread it around in places you don't want them to be. Blowing air through the fan intake won't get the inside as clean as you think either.

Remove the bottom panel of your notebook and blow out your fans while holding the fan rotor with your finger so it doesn't spin and damage the motor. Remove any dust buildup on the radiator by hand before blowing air through it. This should be done biweekly or whenever you deduce that enough dust has accumulated to warrant a cleaning. Thorough cleaning needs to be done once a month. This extends upon the steps listed above by including scrubbing the fan blades with a cotton swab, scrubbing the insides of the radiator with a toothbrush, blowing out the whole mainboard, and wiping the bottom panel with a damp cloth (I use old tshirts) of powdered dust.

A notebook cooler will also help prevent dust accumulation. The less your notebook's fans have to work, the less dust they will suck in.

Clean your room on a routine basis as you do your computer (with the ballpark time tables I have given above) as both you and your computer breathe in the same air. It's good to invest in an air filter. I have a four year old Honeywell tower that has been keeping my breathing air clean and is still alive and kicking.

When your grades begin to drop, you get fired from work, your girlfriend dumps you, your family disowns you, or when you just get plain tired from fragging 12 year olds halfway across the country.