VooDoo question.....

Is the VooDoo Envy M152 chassis the same as the Compal IFL90 (or Sager NP2090) platform? WOW, if it is, then how do they (VooDoo) justify those prices. Also,(a couple of weeks ago), their CSR was of no help. I asked her what colour it would be for the (Canadian) $2727.49. She did not understand the question, (as ALL paint colours shown in options have a price on them). I re-worded the question, and re-asked the question about 7 times to illustrate to her that the posted website price was "As low as $2727.49"...... Soooooooo, what colour is it for that price. NO CLUE what I was trying to ask her. FINALLY, a manager came on the phone and told me that was an error, and they have been working on getting that changed for a long time.SO IT IS ACTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO CONFIGER ONE FOR $2727.49. Anyhow, I just looked today and the website is exactly the same as before. These guys prices are out-to-lunch if they are the Sager/Compal platform. Anyways, if you know, please respond here... Thanks in advance.....

 

Yes it's the same computer. Yes the price is ridiculous. No, talking about it won't get them to reduce prices.

 

People assume Voodoo always has the best stuff, when in reality, it's the same thing in a slightly better sheen of paint, so yeah. Researching your choices and options certainly helped you, but think about others who have bought the M152 without knowing about ODMs or Compal IFL-90s.

Knowledge is power, people, and don't let companies like Voodoo rip you off HARD.

 

How do they justify the price? Cause there's enough fools (present company excepted, of course ) willing to pay the price. It's exactly the same sort of foolishness that leads someone to pay $215,000 for a so-called "proprietary" blend of water, alcohol, and the squeezin's from a buncha flowers, if only it has a name like "Imperial Majesty," comes in a Baccarat crystal bottle, with a 5-carat diamond on top, and only 5 such bottles are put up for sale. Think I'm kidding? See here: http://www.forbes.com/2006/02/03/most-expensive-perfumes-cx_sb_0203fashion3_ls.html (and that was almost 2 years ago).

Glad to see that you've come to your senses, however.

 

the more paint on standard models, the more % of scam

 

I just configured a BETTER system on xoticpc.com for LESS than half the price, (paint job excluded), however they will paint it "ANY COLOUR" for $439. I read their clause on the "ANY COLOUR", and it is very professional and thorough. They even provide a detailed colour chart and encourage the customer to provide their own proposal if they do not see a colour they like. Wow, I would buy from xoticpc FOR SURE !!! It goes beyond just colour options though, they (xoticpc) even have way more hardware options available for the exact same chassis.

 

The paint jobs on Voodoo's cost aroun $600 in material, so they do not make a lot off of the paint. Professional painting also requires a lot of patience and skill, so if you want the best looking machine, then it costs quite a bit. I bought mine unpainted, and it saved me around $1400 because at that time, you could have parts leafed in gold and silver. I found a guy in Canada who is painting my U709 right now, and I paid him with a $2100 laptop to paint my system. He is a professional painter, he is most famous for painting tractor trailer trucks, hot rods, motorcycles, and of course Boyd Coddingtons hotrods you see on American hotrod. So Dave is a cool guy, and he is hooking me up with an awesome paint job, with real gold, copper and silver leaf, peterbilt red and HOK's red fireball metallic flake. The paint and leafed cost Dave over $1500, so I am hoping for an excellent and very durable finish.

I did all of the body work, compounding and filling, so I am making my dream laptop a reality. When done, I will have the sickest, heaviest, brightest and most awesome Voodoo laptop. It will be showcased on the site when it is done. The mutthaboards are in shambles right now, but once thats straightened out they will have pics of peoples machines on their site for showing what they have and had to offer.

I am happy with my Voodoo, yeah people think I am crazy for spending that much, but hey I can say I've got a Voodoo, and one hell of a nice looking one too.

K-TRON

 

$7500 for an unpainted machine??? Damn, I thought they saw me coming! LOL

 

K-TRON, I honestly admire your enthusiasm. I was the same way with motocross bikes when I used to race them, and BMX freestyle bikes when I was a kid. I would spare no expense. I'm sure your unit is going to look awesome, and I am actually looking forward to seeing pictures of it. However, the issue here that I cannot wrap my head around is that the chassis (platform) is the exact same Compal IFL90 that many OEM's use, and painted or not, configurations exactly the same as any that you can get from Powernotebooks or Xoticpc, cost about DOUBLE from VooDoo. VooDoo also has fewer options available. (At least on the 15" model that I initially started this thread on). I would have no problem paying 4 or 5 hundred bucks to Xotics to paint my laptop, because I can see that they are competitive on all other aspects of their selling style, so I am TRUSTING that they would also provide FAIR MARKET VALUE to their paint process. Good luck on your VooDoo, and congrats on finding someone with an impeccable reputation to paint it for you. I'm sure it was difficult finding someone you would trust to do it, in this unique niche market.

 

Actually, I was going to have my friend Kenny do it, but his Uncle sold his automotive paint shop before I got the idea of painting my laptop.

I really dont care if I got ripped off, I really dont buy anything. I make use of what I have, and I fix things myself when they break, and that saves me a ton of money. My landscaping business profits enough to buy three identical Voodoo systems a year, so I dont care. I am still a kid, and I really appreciate, and barely regret buying a Voodoo.

I am friends with the original Voodoo staff, and I enjoy talking to them on a 1-1 level. The warranty support is great, they dont ask questions about cost when something fails, they just replace it.

I overclocked my Quadro, and it burned out. I called Voodoo, and I got a replacement before I had to send my broken card back.

Overall my experience with Voodoo is great, I dont really like the whole HP acquistion, but my model existed before that happened.

K-TRON

 

Sorry, but that's just plain ludicrous. I've owned two Voodoo; each had problems. Cost of repair was a major concern to Voodoo for each machine, and caused unbelievable delays in the repair process.

Be enthusiastic if you like, but be realistic!

 

When I was shopping for my first gaming laptop, I really wanted a Voodoo. I thought their ads were great, they had nice components, and best of all they were Canadian. But when I tried to order one, they wanted 6 grand. I ended up buying an Alienware for $3500 instead. There are other examples of this, WidowPC, Voodoo, etc all rely on advertising and uneducated buyers. It's a scam, sorry Voodoo people.

 

K, wat I dont understanf is y cant u get a 2500 nb from xoticpc, and just pay an extra 400 4 the custom paint job that they offer? I saw some pictures, and they look really good. Ur going 2 pay 3K 4 a overly hyped up paintjob? If so, then you are either insanely rich or insanely mental....

 

Thanks hkman, a great point. I was thinking the same thing, but could not articulate my point through my rage. K-TRON, you can get the same unit through some other provider for half-the-price. Even if you get your guy in Canada to do the paint job, your initial investment is half of what you paid. It's not like 400 or 500 dollars different, it's about 1500-2000 dollars difference. Although I do admire your enthusiasm, you are obviously a computer saavy person, so I doubt you need any technical support from VooDoo, so you can't justify the price because they are your buddies. I'm sure the other notebook providers will honour competitive warranties. You live outside of Canada, then you also have to deal with border documentation and associated fees every time you send it off for cosmetic or technical repair/adjustment. I'm not trying to be antagonistic, I just hope I have made you aware of the existence of overpriced vendors like VooDoo. Also, having choices in our democratic society allows for better purchase decisions and prices to the consumer. Nor is it my intention to bash VooDoo, but their awareness to these types of forums may demonstrate to them that consumers are aware of their reputation in the marketplace, as being generally overpriced. They may, or may not respond, but they may be aware. More importantly, WE KNOW !!!

 

Oh, dont worry, I knew I could buy a Clevo barebone at RJTECH and Exotic before purchasing. I am not stupid, I knew I was getting a rebranded D900K. I made the choice of going with Voodoo, and many have, and I am not disappointed about doing so. Money does no mean everything, personal value and happiness is also part of the equation.

Plus, I didnt get ripped off that much, I have a $1360 Quadro graphics card (thats how much it costs for a new one, I talked to a sales rep of Eurocom Canada, where Voodoo gets their clevo parts from), at the time it was a $1200 processor (processor I bought separately from newegg), and each of the blu-ray drives sold for about $1100 each. Each of the harddrives which came with system, were cheap 80gb seagates, which I replaced with $400 of 7K200's, about $150 for the power brick, about $150 for the battery and then the ram was like $200 for the 2gb. I didnt get ripped off, yeah I really never use the blu-ray drives, but I can burn two blu-rays at the same time. If you add the costs of the motherboard, which rjtech sells for $498, and the screen which is easily $350 -400, the cost will come to about $6600. And thats not including the chassis, touchpad, memory card reader, speakers and everything needed to put it together.

Those cheap barebones at exotic, dont have the blu-ray drives, or the Opteron processor, or the best Quadro graphics card.

So Voodoo made $600 on the system, thats not a rip off to me.

K-TRON

 

Burn 2 bluray disks at the same time.. lol that's a useful feature.

 

Dude, I dont know where u get these prices.
configed a m570ru at Voodoo 4 5749 for the following specs

2.6Ghz DC
4GB RAM
200GB HDD
8700mGT
1yr Warrant


At Xotic u can get penryn, 3 yr warranty, 8800mGTX, custom paint job 4 less than 3K

 

1. They're not the same computer.
2. He isn't buying it today. And prices fall.

His computer is the Sager NP9750.
http://store.agearnotebooks.com/sagernp9750.html

I would agree that a similar computer today would be the NP5792, at about $3000 from XoticPC with a Penryn, and the 8800m GTX.

 

Hi hkman, I'm not sure who you are directing your question towards, but I see you get the point as far as the HUGE price difference. This thread's original inquiries began around the 15" chassis platform, however I now realize the same pricing concerns present themselves for other sizes of notebooks too. Thanks for taking the time with the configuration scenarios.

 

The post was directed towards K TRON. ANyways, at ur situation, just get it from Xotic and ask them to do a custom paint job.

Mer details can be found here:
http://www.xoticpc.com/extfinish.htm

 

I am not telling people to go out and buy a Voodoo, I am just a happy owner of one. I have always wanted a Voodoo, and nothing got in my way to fulfilling my internal want of a Voodoo and the fastest AMD notebook. My system kicks ass, and to me it is the perfect machine.
Its not like many people here on the forums own a Voodoo, so just be glad there are a few owners giving you their ideas.

K-TRON

 

Um... I own that notebook (Clevo D900K).

Had it for almost 2 years now... its about to be phased out though... interesting that Voodoo is still selling it since its technology has been phased out.
- socket 939 CPU (up to dual core FX-60 or Opteron 185)
- 2 slot of DDR1 (up to 2GB DDR400)
- proprietary Clevo videocard module (tops out at 7950GTX or Quadro 2500M)

But I was not willing to pay markup for anything... especially if there is the same or comparable alternative for a better price.

I like bang for the buck... cuz I'm a poor starving college student. If you have to money, then more power to you.

 

I was one of the last people to order the U709. I ordered mine on PiDay, and it was removed from the envy line the second week of April. Voodoo is not still selling the system anymore. What a shame from what I hear it was one of the most successful selling voodoo laptops.

I dont think the D900K should have been phased out, it competes with many core 2 laptops. At least my Opteron 185 outpaces the T7600, and it just outpaces the T7500 in my Lenovo laptop. The D901C is a beast, but I love the look of the D900K. It is still the fastest AMD laptop by far, and I am proud to own the fastest one of them.

K-TRON

 

The only reason to get a Voodoo is to fulfil some kind of nerd status fantasy where you have the nicest machine at the LAN party. The funny thing is, anyone who knows a damn thing about computers is going to know that you are sporting old tech, and that you paid double what the machine was worth. Just like the sucker who is buying my old Alienware for $1700. Funny thing is, I told him straight out he was overpaying, and that he could get a faster option (like the Gateway 8800GTS machine) for about $300 less. He dosen't care, he wants the skullcap... and he will put up with an AMD Turion and SLI 7900's to get it.

 

Being a smart man, you should fix your sig.

 

Lol I never even noticed that. Anyways, the bottom line is this, Voodoos are not worth the money, and no you should not buy one. Yes they look neat. If you want to drop $2500 on a laptop the 17" NP5792/3 or the 15" Alienware m15x is the way to go. If you want to spend $1500, look at the new Gateway machine. I would NOT reccomend SLI to anyone at this point, as it is not needed. If you want to keep your laptop for 3+ years, then perhaps the m17x or the NP9262 is a better choice, although I would suggest that a single 8800M GTX will not need to be upgraded until mid 2009 at earliest.

 

My system is already paid for, and I would not have done anything different if I was to buy the machine again.
Why do you mention getting an Alienware, as that is also an overpriced rebranded Clevo.
What you guys are saying is that oh, bang for the buck is all that matters, so follow through with your statements, and say buy from RJTECH or Xotic, as they have the cheapest Clevo prices.

You guys telling me that buying a Voodoo is dumb, is just silly. I have the machine, I am happy with it, I made the decision to buy it, and guess what you telling me to not buy it after being happy with it for nearly a year means nothing to me.

To me, its all about being happy and assured in your purchases.
Money means nothing to me, I dont have a care for it. I buy quality goods, and that means they ae expensive. I will work harder and strive to get those quality goods, because I know that I will take care of them and get the most out of them. I am happy knowing I have a Voodoo, because guess what you dont. I whip it out, and all I get is "wow thats one beautiful laptop", "man that thing looks so powerful", and "damn that thing looks heavy". Everyone has their reasons for everything. Its the same reasin for watches and such. Yeah, you can buy a cheap $30 timex, or you can roll in style with a $118,000 Patek Phillipe watch. They both do the same thing, right. Well to different people, money is not the only piece of the purchasing equation. I thoroughly weighed my options, and yeah I went for the Voodoo because I can, and I knew I would be getting an awesome flawless machine. I bought it with the 3yr warranty and such, and you know what, I am happy I did. I use my laptops for years on end. I am a hardcore AMD fan, and there is nothing like having an Opteron in your laptop.

Case closed.
Think what you want

K-TRON

 

Is that to say that the laptops that we buy, which are essentially the same thing as the Voodoo models, are of any "less" quality, aside from the paint job, primarily? Perhaps the service and the paint job is just that much better, but I find it hard to believe that people would disregard other options when they can pay much less for the same thing and instead, get a Voodoo.

Hey, if you're happy with it, you're happy with it. What's it for us to question your purchases...

 

Ktron I am glad you are happy with your machine.

I think you are confusing the m9700 with the m7700, which is a rebranded clevo. When I purchaced the m9700 it was the only laptop available with SLI, there were no alternatives, and it was not identical to another machine which cost $3000 less. At that time, SLI seemed like a good idea (the driver issues were unanticipated) because a single card system could not hope to play the big games of the day (Oblivion for example) on max settings, while the SLI system could. Now that the 8800M GTX is out, and SLI is unnessisary, I did put my money where my mouth is and buy the NP5792/3 from discountlaptops.com, and will reccomend the NP5792/3 as the best price/performance option currently available to gamers, and the cheapest 8800M GTX machine on the market.

The m15x and m17x are unique, as there are no alternatives to them yet on the market. The m15x is the only 15.4" notebook with an 8800M GTX, and the m17x is the only (announced) notebook with SLI 8800's using a notebook processor, although I am sure there will be competition here.

 

My point again,,, THE IFL90 ACTUAL CHASSIS is not "Similar to" the 15" VooDoo, it is ACTUALLY EXACTLY
THE SAME !!!! Every hole, groove, contour, everything... It is the same chassis. I cannot speak of the 17" models, as I have not investigated them, but I can say with confidence that the 15" VooDoo is a rip off. I totally understand the PATEK watch buyers mindset, or the guy that goes and buys a Porsche, or someone that buys "Designer" bags of expensive cat food... The problem with your comparison on the watch K-Tron is that the PATEK is NOT a Timex chassis with different gears. It is a PATEK chassis with proprietary guts. My point with these laptops is different than the point you are trying to defend so passionately. The chassis' are the same. Compal is the ODM (not the OEM). VooDoo buys them, and assembles the guts the same as Xotics or Sager or Powernotebooks or anyone else would. The difference is that VooDoo charges stupid amounts of money. It's not the same as a guy buying a Porsche or Ferrari or Rolex, because those products are distinctly their own brand. I would have no problem giving VooDoo $600 to paint my laptop if I felt that the rest of the system was competitive with the industry marketplace, but they are not. 2 similarly configured systems (paint excluded), on the EXACT same platform, costs DOUBLE from VooDoo (approx.). There is no preceived "Premium" on the similarly configured units if one came from VooDoo and one came from Xotic. A Porsche has 4 wheels and a steering wheel and a radio. Well so does a Honda Civic. So are they the same? Of course not. I'm not even gonna suggest one is better than the other, because I'm sure they both have faults, but they target 2 different markets. The point I want to make is that the Porsche IS NOT A HONDA CIVIC CHASSIS WITH DIFFERENT COMPONENTS. If it were, then my point would not be valid, and anyone (educated enough to make a rational and informed automotive purchase), who bought one would have to have their common sense evaluated. The 15" VooDoo should not carry a premium for the same reason. It is the exact same platform as all IFL90 based units. What is even worse for the VooDoo buyer is, that in my analogy, you would get the Civic chassis PLUS the motor, wheels, interior etc. from the Honda as well, and pay Porsche dollars. I state this point because not even the options on the VooDoo are better than other OEM's.... In fact, you can get MORE options from Xotic or Powernotebook. Anyway, that said, I am well aware I have choices, I just want to make sure we are comparing apples-to-apples in this thread.

 

I dont have the m9700, I have a U709, which is the D900K, which is the m7700a.
Ahh too many names.
When it comes to AMD, this chassis is still the best. ABout a week before I ordered my beast, news slipped from Clevo about the making of the D901C. At first I was kindof mad that my laptop was going to be outdated, but that didnt bother me. Raid 0 over 2 drives has near identical performance over 3 drives, and I had no need for dual graphics cards. Heck at that time there was no dual Quadro's for the D901C. The processor had a very small heatsink in comparison to the D900K, so I thought it would have issues. I know alot about laptops, and a system like the D900C generates a ton of heat, and usually the cuplrits are the graphics cards, and when they melt it costs big $$$ to fix.
Instead of waiting for the D901C to be released, I bought the D900K. I have heard good and bad about it, and all I can say is that everything is good as long as the temperatures are in range. If that means keeping the fans on full blast all of the time than so be it. I dont care too much about noise. My laptop has a very power hungry graphics card and processor, perhaps too much for a notebook, and the design of the chassis, and its unlimited modification makes it run very cool.
I have never seen temps over 55C after my mods, and hopefully it stays that way. I am going to keep my Voodoo for ever, I will never sell it or get rid of it. Heck, I still have the box it came in, in mint condition, and it is going to stay that way. I dont buy a temporary system, I make it last. In the past I have used laptops for 6 years on end, and continual maintenance keeps them from overheating and breaking. I love my U709, and I care for it as a mother cares for their baby. The D900K chassis is still unrivalved by any notebook, as it is the fastest AMD laptop. There are no alternatives.

K-TRON

 

Edit: Forget it... I don't do flame wars. Enjoy the laptop Ktron.

 

Will you guys leave him alone.

Welcome to the free market, where everyone is free to buy whatever the heck they want. If you don't think a Voodoo is worth $7-8k, don't buy it. End of story.

 

Realize that the post was made well before the debate. And expresses my opinion only.

Your attempt to deface me will be met with the the full force of my mop!

 

Deface you??? C'mon Lithus, not the damn mop!

 

blemish, contort, damage, deform, demolish, destroy, dilapidate, disfigure, distort, foul up, gum up, harm, hash up, impair, injure, louse up, mangle, mar, mess up, misshape, muck up, obliterate, ruin, scratch, screw up, spoil, sully, tarnish, trash*, vandalize, wreck

Whichever you prefer. *whack*

 

I'm partial to mangle; sounds good in the above context, no? LOL

/Ouch!


BTW, powerpack will be very proud of your fantastic copy and paste talents, Lithus! I hope he sees your post.