Update on Radeon 7970m (Sager/Resellers)

Should I not bother with the disk drivers than? If I try the disk drivers and decide that I want to update, will I need to do a clean install of windows and install drivers in the recommended order except replacing the GPU drivers with these?

 

No need to do a clean install. Just remove the old drivers and install the new ones.

 

No, absolutely not. You shouldn't ever have to do a clean install of windows just to update drivers. You should be able to update and roll back your drivers pretty freely.

 

that is good to know. I will be doing a clean install anyways as I will be putting a SSD in as soon as I get it.

 

Awesome, you'll love it.

 

I don't get how some people think the way this was handled by the resellers was a fiasco or bad business. I believe I have read every page of this thread and the customer service has been exceptional. It makes me think there are some posters with little or no knowledge of the real world. I would like to know a little more about the exact cause of the failures with the 7970M but we do know it was not the resellers fault. The way all the resellers and especially Xoticpc have handled this situation has been exceptional.

 

Agreed. Most people aren't bothering to read the rest of the thread. I've been researching my new laptop since September of last year, have been well aware that things like this happen. I wanted my laptop weeks ago, but understand I have to be patient given the situation. I have to say, Justin from Xotic PC has been incredibly responsive. I didn't even order from Xotic, but seeing how great Justin has been with the forum will make me consider them for next time.

 

I agree. The resellers' hands are clean in the matter. I have one computer ordered from XoticPC and one from Mythlogic (for a friend and for me, respectively) and their communication has been exemplary.

 

What is all this talk about drivers for? After I put in the ssd, my9150 worked just fine with the 7970. Diablo 3 looks great. Am I supposed to be updating something? Is there a known issue I'm missing?

 

Nope. It seems like they've been working fine for most people.

 

Other than a couple people indicating they have not been notified as much as they would have liked there has been little criticism of any Sager Reseller or Clevo Builder and I have been through the entire thread.

Xotic is top notch with regards to customer service ( the reason I ordered from them ) and so are all the other resellers and builders. Anyone who has been around nbr for any length of time can attest to that.

Most complaints center on the order in which Sager is processing customer orders. Clearly no reseller has anything to do with that. I think Sager could have handled the processing of orders better and my own personal order has nothing to do with that opinion as I just ordered 1.5wks ago and have no expectation of receiving mine anytime soon.

We can discuss the efficiency of Sager's build process ( there is some limited information regarding the size/sales of the company in which we can try and draw some conclusions regarding operations ) but in the end it is just speculation.

As for real world knowledge I am a pretty successful small business owner, started out my career as a EE in consumer electronics ( car audio ), so I do have some ideas on how small business handles electronic assembly/order processing.

 

Yep, I agree 100%.

 

The reason I was upset is when I order my computer on April 30th, I expected to be in first batch. They assumed they had enough so didn't have any order and I had to wait, whatever. But what really irritated me is 2nd batch comes in, and people that ordered more than a week after me with the same setup are getting theirs shipped and delivered before mine. Xotic they would be done in the order they were ordered but that wasn't the case. In the end, mine will be here on Tuesday and hopefully w/ no issues.

 

They were done in the order they were ordered but as posted previously you can't all expect every order to ship in exact order number format with this scale of back orders. Additionally Sager was doing runs of models to increase overall output. I understand you all want your laptops as fast as possible but many of you are getting upset because one person shipped 24 to 48 hours ahead of the next. I posted this previously which I hope can provide some understanding:

I know it is frustrating to wait for the 2nd batch, to which yours ultimately shipped within 72 hours of its arrival.

 

Ordered a P170EM from Myth on April 30th and it's finally built and in the burn-in stage. Hopefully MI to WI shipping gets me the laptop by weekend.

 

It's all good. Like everyone else, I was just ready to get my laptop esp since my other has been broke since Jan. I wish I didn't work on Tuesday when it comes in but I suppose Wed works, lol

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

Mine is supposed to come in on Thursday, but I do not have a day off until Saturday I guess I will not be sleeping much in those few days.

 

Hey Guys, received my p150em on friday but unfortunately i wasn't able to configure it till today.

AMD Radeon HD 7970M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor,CLEVO P15xEMx score: P5819 3DMarks

Guess my score is pretty nice for a clevo version?
haven't changed any settings or oc, so it's all stock.
i went with the 12.6 modded beta driver. (3d mark claims the graphics driver was not supported yet but i guess the score is ok...?)

cheers core²

 

This is the main reason I did not order one. I did not want to be in the waiting game, will rather order once things are in order and should receive my laptop in 7-10 days. I wont even start to give you my opinion, on paying something full price just to sit and wait for it.

 

Currently playing the waiting game with the UPS truck. According to the track it's out for delivery but only given a "by end of day" delivery time. Didn't think I'd be that excited but only slept about 4 hours before I was worried I'd miss the doorbell since I sleep in a basement.

 

You and me both, I am hoping when I return mid July from holidays its all in order for my purchae.

 

hey when did you order? i also ordered from mysn, but im still waiting.....

 

Hehe, that's pretty funny. I understand though, mine should be here in the next hour if UPS delivers at their usual time, and I'm ready to start pacing.

 

ordered may 14th.

 

thanks,
im a bit dissapointed, seeing i ordered on the same day and mine isnt even shipped yet... oh well, cant be much longer now...

 

hm, shipping to germany or europe? to be honest i was writing a lot of mails with the support so maybe that gave them a little push. they said my order was in the first third of orders...

 

yeah, i wrote alot too, and they told me i was in the first 3rd aswell, im shipping to switzerland btw, but that doesnt matter seeing its still "in production"

If nothing changes by tomorrow ill write to them. (It has been in production for a week now.)

 

hm, maybe different keyboard or stuff like that. but yeah, contact them. support has been outstanding so far. oh btw. i also have the standard matte display and it makes my 24" external look like crap

 

Aaaannnndd it's here!

My first laptop ever

I have a noob question. Isnt it possible to plug the laptop into the wall without using the battery or no? If so, how

 

If you plug the laptop into the wall, you can take out the battery. Just be sure you put it back in before unplugging it, I did that once and lost a bunch of data ><

 

On most laptops you can remove the battery, plug it in, and it'll run just fine. I can't speak specifically to this one yet. Do you have a specific reason for wanting to do this? It doesn't help battery longevity - it's plenty smart enough to not overcharge the battery.

 

What frustrates me is that I haven't even left phase 1. It's been a month, and they still have yet to charge my card. It's shipping to Hawai'i so I had to send an email to verify the shipping I wanted, it's been 5 days since then and they still haven't bothered updating me nor charging the card. The card expires in 10 days, and based on the current progress, I'm worried it won't be charged until then. Then I would have to call them, give them the new card info, and it would take another 10 damn days to charge the card.

I don't care if it's not going into production yet, but at least respond to my freaking emails and charge the damn card. I've sent 5 emails over the past 15 days, and haven't received any sort of response. I don't care about waiting for the laptop, I just want to be given updates and not have my emails ignored.

I understand the massive amount of orders, but how long does it take to read my email then put the info into the computer? 2 minutes? maybe?

Come on Xotic D:

/rant

 

Ok, just saw the UPS truck come down my dead end street, stop about 8 houses away from mine, then turn around and leave. Definitely not a happy camper right now...

 

@Jpech58

Get on live chat with them from the front of the site or call them. You will get quicker response as I am sure they are being flooded right now via email. WHo are you dealing with there at XoticPC?

 

They said it was supposed to be charged last week when I called them, and I'm trying live chat right now. It's been busy for about 30 minutes. I'd rather not name anyone, but they've put me with 2 people. Neither have been helpful and neither have responded to my emails. It's been frustrating to say the least.

Oh well, I understand. Due to their high rated customer service, it must just be an overload of orders and emails. No big deal.

 

I am sorry to hear of this. I find it extremely odd that any of our staff let a email not be responded to for over 24-48 business hours, let alone as you say 5 emails in 15 days not replied to. Please PM me your order # so I can review the back end what were sent to you. I am guessing you have a spam filter blocking our emails as generally emails are replied to in 24 business hours. Keep in mind weekends do not count as business days.

As listed previously and you are awaiting the 7970m's we do not send out updates unless technically there is a update to provide.

EDIT you may also email me by clicking on my name in my signature.

 

LOL speak of the devil, just got an email back saying it has gone into phase 2 which means it has been charged. (Or will it be charged tomorrow? I know it won't go into production because it went into phase 2 after 1PM CST.)

Thank you for your quick response to my rant, but it seems as though everything is fine now.

This is what happens when I let my emotions get the best of me, I make a fool of myself. I gotta get back to listening to reggae.

 

Definitely not my experience with Xotic. I am dealing with Michael and I know I am a pest. Yet Michael has always gotten back with me quickly.

 

I am glad you received a update. If you can send me your order # via email I would still like to look at the emails as it is extremely odd that a email is not responded to and very important that no email gets missed. If some sort of filter is blocking it we want to know so it can be addressed.

 

The vendors are big boys and they know that us customers get a bit crazy when it is something like this. I ordered mine on June 6th and I know I am down the pecking order a bit, still in Phase 1 Pending parts. That has not stopped me from losing productivity at work and spending waaaay too much time both here on NBR and XoticPC forums.

 

Man I hope I get my laptop before the Steam Summer sale starts. I ordered my laptop on May 6th and I'm still on phase 2.

I'm absolutely not upset with anyone over this, just disappointed that it had to happen. Xotic has been nice about everything so far.

Also, Justin, if you don't mind can I send you my order number to see if you know something?

 

Quick question, sorry if it is not related.
Do I need to get a cooling pad?
I got the NP9150 with 7970m card. Probably going to game on it really hard.
Anyone had heat problem with their new machines?
Thanks

 

The notebook itself has great cooling! I doubt you'd need a cooling pad. Just remember to clean it once in a while.. Maintenance is just as important!

 

Wow, thanks, is there any guide on how should I do that?
Sorry, I am totally a noob on this computer.

 

There's nothing to it. I believe there are 4 screws underneath that you remove to pop open the backplate, and clean the heck out of the vents and fans, as much as possible. You see, having a cooler would still not stop dust from clogging into these parts, and while your cooler would still be running, your laptop would get hotter over time and performance would start degrading. Thus, it's always better to maintain the notebook itself than to try and support it with unnecessary accessories.

 

Don't want to rain on your parade, but as a general matter, it is best to speak to the guys who actually have the unit configured as you have purchased it.
If you check the forum, you will find a thread on people having heat problems with the 7970m that at least from my reading indicate some possible problems with the pasting of the heat sinks on some received models. When you receive yours, I'd advise installing some heat monitoring proggies before you stress the unit. Watch it carefully for signs of overheating and if you see it running up, you'll want to shut it down and inspect the fans, then the heat sink paste jobs.

seer

 

Thanks for the suggest, I will install cpu and gpu monitor for sure.
Thanks

 

Nope, no cooling pad needed, but it always helps if you use one

 

Elaborating on the help bit; it is not necessary but in most cases it will prolong the life of your laptop, the biggest killer of electronics is heat and getting rid of any unnecessary heat is always a bonus, especially for the battery.

 

Regarding the heat pad issue. This is going to sound a bit funny, but trust me, I'm from the magnetic tape/ punch card days. Any walmart/target/ kmart, big lots etc. type store will have a housewares department. There you can find a rectangular wire grid -grate type 'hotplate' goodie designed to keep hot things from burning whatever surface you have to put them on. They weigh little, will slip right into your notebook case/bag etc., are usually height adjustable and cost like 3 to 5 bucks US. You will be AMAZED at how much they will lower the operating temps of a lappie. If you want to go further, you can buy various rheo type fans (with a usb plug for power) that you can attach to the bottom of the 'hotplate' at a location that matches the output of the fan to the input of your cooling system, use the rheo as required (trading noise for cooling capacity when needed). You can even use the 'plate' in your lap to make sure your lappie's input vents aren't blocked by your thighs, clothing etc...

All in all its really handy, costs nothing. Thermaltake sells a number of rheo fans that are easily attached to the grid, and can push a huge amount of air.

The whole setup will cost far less and out perform the vast majority of the current crop of 'laptop coolers' costing upwards of 50-60 dollars.

I've overclocked a ton of lappies, and this is what I've come to use.

cheap to try

seer