Sager NP8278 / Clevo P170SM-A, a new owner! (XoticPC)

This is the bag i finally settled on, i prefer sling bags but for a 17" it is hard to find, i asked all sorts of makers and most sling bags go small at the top and thus had no room.

This is a bigger bag, but is very hefty, you will want a sleeve as there is basically no protection at the bottom of the bag, i am going to put some foam there on the bottom but it fits, barely!

Amazon.com : Maxpedition Kodiak Gearslinger, Khaki/Foliage : Tactical Backpacks : Sports & Outdoors

 

have you found a sleeve that fits?

 

I use the evereki titan, takes the p570wm, both chargers etc and gives me room to bring documents and clothes.

 

I bought a sleeve locally that fits my NP8278 rather snuggly.

Solo PRO Padded Ultrabook Laptop Sleeve PRO117-4 - Best Buy

 

Thanks, I love the bag although it is quite expencive.

Thanks

 

So MrGuvernment,

How are things going with the laptop? You seemed to be having a lot of trouble in early June, and not much info since then.

Did you try repasting, and did that solve your heat/stability problems?

Any fixes for your USB3 problems?

Thanks.

 

Question, anyone know the model of the BR drive?

I bought an external 5.25 enclosure but the things keeps dropping out no matter what I put in it so am just beyond annoyed with it, would cost me more to ship the thing back so going out a window.

So looking to buy the BR drive to put into my laptop and hopefully sell of my BR drive to someone.

Do the BR drives have support for the upcoming 128G disks / BDXL

LG Electronics 14x Internal BDXL Blu-Ray Burner Rewriter WH14NS40 - Bulk Drive - Black
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007YWMCA8/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Is what i have now.

Are they pretty much standard?
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-UJ2...405049243&sr=1-5&keywords=laptop+bluray+drive


has BDXL
http://www.amazon.com/Laptops-Blu-r...F8&qid=1405049467&sr=1-1&keywords=BDXL+laptop

So far so good, no reboots while gaming lately, even with Diablo III which cranks the temps even just on the main login screen.

USB3 enclosure i got isn't working still

This one, wasthe only one that was in stock when i had looked
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MKS0IM/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Keeps dropping out, the same also occurs with a Nexstar 2.5 enclosure i got, drops in and out as soon as you access the drive on USB3 port, on USB2 it seems to work, but this also happened on another system i tested with USB3. I think i just have bad luck with USB3 devices that i really just don't trust it now. Some people said it was the cheap cables these companies are shipping, but for 2 completly different devices to not work for me, i must be cursed.

This one is finally in stock, but do i take a chance and buy this
http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-5-25-I...qid=1405049729&sr=1-5&keywords=5.25+enclosure

or put that $51 towards a BR drive to go in the laptop.. less space and less things to carry around.

 

Does anyone else have a problem with usb ports ? 2 of my usb 3.0 ports no longer work after a windows update :/

Also if anyone needs a half business looking bag for this, I got a pretty nice carry-on luggage piece from Kohls for 40 bucks. padded pockets, laptop just fits in, and theres 2 more pockets. mouse/powercord and whatever i put in the middle one and books or documents in the 3rd. looks like a casual style briefcase almost.

 

All I can test is with USB 2 devices but mine do work. I am running Windows 8.1 Update 1 though.,

What OS are you using? If Windows 7 reinstall the USB 3 driver.

 

Just received this bag. I love it, thanks for the suggestion

 

Heh, expensive but it gets the job done

 

okay well stranger new issues for me.

I have my dell monitor connected via HDMI cable. After gaming for about 20-30 mins on Team Fortress 2, window mode, the monitor loses signal, goes black for 2-3 seconds then comes back....

 

Have you checked the cable itself?

 

I have not, it has worked fine to this point, i do have another around. just need to find it, funny i posted this and it has not done it since then!

 

Well i sold my Dell monitor, so that issue is solved now!


As for my weird USB 3 issues, i bought yet another USB 2.5 enclosure and it works fine. And now i went back and re-tested my other 2.5 USB3 enclosure and it works fine as well....

I hate random weird issues!

 

Did you replace the Dell with another brand and it doesn't do it on the new one?

 

Nope, figured for now i am good with out the Monitor, hard to get used to, looking down at the laptop, but certainly not had any issues gaming

My issues now seems to be this "crappy" Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260. I have had this laptop on 3 different routers, my Asus N57U with stock firmware and modded firmware, Ubiquiti AP's and another Asus N65U and the same thing happens on them all eventually, the wireless just stops working..

Connection drop, get the yellow ! on the NIC icon by the block., i have to disable and re-enable the NIC for it to pick back up. Tonight it has done is several times in the last hour to the point it is making me not want to use the laptop (trying to get some work done at home but can't cause my remote connection keeps dropping because of it)

I do see there is a newer driver for it i am going to try out
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=24220

Right now i have 16.5.3.6 installed.

 

Hopefully the newer drivers help, let us know.

 

So far no drops and been on the laptop pretty much since the last post..

 

I had the exact same issues until I used the Intel AC 17.x drivers. It's been rock solid ever since.

6+ months now and still going strong.

 

What are you guys getting for battery run time? Mainly interested in web surfing and note taking when on battery.

 

I get a couple of hours and that's it.

 

Hey guys do you know how to setup keyboard illumination cause mine is not changing, I'm trying to access setup for that with FN + that other key and nothing.

 

What is "that other key" you are using, just to make sure you're using the right one. Its supposed to be the / above the 8 on the numberpad.

 

Yes that one and nothing

 

Sorry for yet another noob question...

Would dropping to the 15" version of this config be much of a difference in battery life? Sure would like to see 3+ hours.

 

The 15.6 inch screens do save a fair bit of power. You can compare the notebookcheck articles to see more precise measurements on that but you should be able to get that.

 

Have you reinstalled the hot key utility? If so and still no dice try the latest version from Sager Software Upgrade

 

Have you reinstalled the hot key utility? If so and still no dice try the latest version from Sager Software Upgrade

 

My 8258-S gets between 5-6 hours doing basic web browsing.

Watching movies I can push about 4-5 hours.

Playing games, I push about 3 hours.

 

i had thought i had the lastest ones already but guess i didnt put them in. i have had it drop once so far, but better than before, i got another route to test on and a Ubiquity AP as well see if it is something with this Asus Router.

 

Are there are a lot of networks around you? Have you tried switching channels?

 

Well my weird USB 3 issue is back again, start to move files to either of my 2 external USB drives and speeds start good then drop to 0 and do nothing.

 

From research I've done (as I've had some flakey issues with streaming video over USB3 cutting out randomly) I've run across these issues as possible solutions:

1. The firmware for the USB (on the PC) and the device connected to it need to be sure to be updated to fix long standing issues with theUSB infrastructure.
2. Due to the low power of the USB3 interface, long cables tend to cause more flakyness than shorter cables.
3. Due to the low power of the USB3 interface, wiggling the cable or any movement of the cable/device to the USB while running could cause an interrupt in power disconnecting the device.

In short, USB3 is still half-baked and they need to get in some more firmware updates and driver support globally to fix it.

So all I can suggest is keep updating everything, get as small a cable as you can afford with the highest quality connectors, and see if that helps.

 

I just received my NP8278 few days ago. Overall, I'm happy with it. However, there are two issues that are really annoy me. Please someone let me know if they are common problem of this model or only my unit has those problem.
Keyboard:
Some keys on the keyboard are not really aligned with others. Specifically, the "E" and "D" keys are a bit higher, whereas the "S" key raises up on the right edge. It feels like there is something under the keyboard that raises those key higher. Typing on it is ok but I still feel annoyed.
Camera:
The camera is not centered in the hole but tends to be downward close to the low edge. It's not really a problem though. I mention it here just to ask if anyone has the same issue.

 

I've had mine for about 2 weeks now, and I love it. The 970m is awesome!

 

how do you guys find the default matte screens are (non upgraded ones) I'm looking at this specific model but going with the 970m. I don't like seeing all these weird quirky problems and questionable build quality type issues..makes me want to lean back toward ASUS.

 

Honestly the build style and quirks are in every make and model.

I came from the Asus camp to the Clevo camp and honestly I'm much happier as the build quality seems better overall to the Asus I had.

Some things are a bit more quirky. The touchpad in the clevo took more customization before I was happy with it, but I enjoy it better than my old asus. The cooling is hands down better than the Asus, by entire margins. Though the new G750 model of Asus has come a long way, but I'll be curious if they can keep that cooling level after a year or two with it in use. The Clevos tend to have the same cooling regardless of the years in use.

The speakers are slightly worse quality than the Asus (MSI if you really must hae great speakers in a laptop) but the sound -drivers- are much better in the Clevo than the Asus.

Same with the wifi drivers. MUCH better than were in the Asus.

The screen display is hands down better than the Asus.

The Asus I had before my 8258-S Clevo is the G51JX-X1. So went from a 15" to a 15".

I think it boils down that each make and model have their own quirks. A lot of them can be worked out with driver and config tweaking, others can not be. It depends on what you find acceptable or not.

The 8258/8268/8278 have been highly praised for the Clevo/Sager brands. The others get hit and misses.

In the end, just choose what you want that works best for what you need. And plan for the long term. That includes good cooling.

 

Just an update, I now live in Calgary Alberta, and brought my laptop with me. Still going strong, no problems except for the few i posted which were easily fixed eventually, usually software related.

I have to give the fans a good cleaning as they are reving up now and then while browsing web sites, so probably some dust right in the fans.

otherwise, love it, and happy as can be!

 

Compressed air while you keep the fan held still is the way to go, quick bursts and you are good to go

 

Good to hear the computer is still going strong for you. For the fans, besides the cleaning, just be sure to keep the bottom vents clear of any obstruction so they can pull in air properly.