sager np8690 vs alienware m15x

Clevo notebooks are sexy on the inside.

 

They can be both

....what? I like colors

 

You think that plastic traffic light looks sexy? It looks like an artist has taken a pile of ravers' glowsticks and glued them altogether and said - voila, my masterpiece! Perhaps if I were a moth or a four-year old I'd be attracted to the 'pretty colours' but I'm not. Seriously, sleek and simple is all you need to attract most adults with the right cash and Sager realised this a while back.

 

looks are subjective. it's useless to debate it.

 

Yeah, the Alienware is flashy, the Sager professional looking. To each their own.

 

Most things are subject to personal interpretation or opinion. This board is for open discussions as well as to provide information. In fact, the whole point of this thread is to discuss a a matter that is purely open to personal bias. Neither machine can truely be declared the better, or at least without a better defined criteria as to what it means for it to 'win the battle'.

In other words, why not just declare this thread useless?

- Because it's fun to discuss.

Apologies if you felt I was a little harsh. Who isn't up for a rowdy debate after watching 'In the Loop'?

 

Well Oiad, I suppose we could see which of these notebooks fit certain criteria better. Examples:

For gaming: The Sager, no opinions needed.

For value: The Sager, no opinions needed.

For looks: Subjective.

For portability: The Sager, no opinions needed.


That seems pretty cut and dry to me.

 

it seems though that battery life goes to the m15x which kinda makes portability a wash between the two. m15x is heavy and less tethered to a wall socket, the sager is lighter and doesn't require a fork lift or a 17inch laptop bag to haul it around

Still, that's 2 wins, a loss (giving the m15x the win for looks since the sager has none...good OR bad) and a draw so I think the sager still wins out.

 

I have to disagree on looks, which is why it was subjective, and not a win for Alienware. I really think the Sager looks much more professional and streamlined. I would rather take the Sager to class than the Alienware, that's for sure.

I also thought the battery life would be about the same between the two. What data do you have to suggest the Alienware will win on battery life?

 

Stealth mode throttles the gpu and CPU to conserve power

 

I'm pretty sure there is other software to do that as well. I know I can at least underclock the GPU and undervolt the CPU.

 

I was making a general statement that was not intended to be directed at you. The point of the thread I believe was to help the OP decide which to get. That person will obviously have their own opinion on the looks and if they are considering both then looks isn't an issue.

Looks isn't an issue with either of them for me also. What is important is how it actually feels in my hands when using it. I guess that is still superficial. The closest thing to a Clevo I've own was an MSI whitebook. That thing felt so cheap I sold it off right away. I need to actually see a Clevo/Sager system before I would be willing to get one. The fact that you can get them as barebones from RJTech still appeals to me.

 

I own a Thinkpad and an Alienware....what does that say about me?

 

lol angelic don't assume to much

i do know this but the average user does not know this and they consider it a feature


as i have said before i prefer the 860 in this battle on looks as well its one of the first sager i liked the looks on i just wish i could get a green one

 

When using windows vista, for your power plan go to "advanced options - PCI Express - Link State Power Management - on battery/plugged in power savings - Choose moderate or Maximum. It will downclock your GPU to something like 200/400/100 when you aren't doing stuff that requires its full attention. I.E. it always downclocks when you don't need it to be maxxed

No third party software needed even (I assume this works in windows 7 as well, but I did not try it as my copy of win 7 was installed on a desktop)

 

i know that as well

but thanks

 

Schizophrenic mayhap?

As for your dilemna concerning Clevo's you could always ask to review a model. Ask henrybutt about doing so as he has reviewed Clevo models before.

 

The m860tu had a 'Silent mode' feature right? Didn't that do the same think as downclock the CPU & GPU?

EDIT: Maybe the w860cu has a similar feature.

 

the data I have is that resellers are telling me the 8690 will get 1-2 hours (when asked about power conserving settings) where as most of the talk about the m15x is that it gets at least 2.

as for the looks of the sager and subjectivity, I also prefer it to the m15x but the sager doesn't have "looks" it's just a conservative container for great hardware. besides, can't you tell I was just trying to throw a bone to the m15x?

 

You sure about that?
As far as I know that only affects the bus itself. It does not affect the GPU clocks. The GPU driver/GPU bios determine the clocks. Newer nVidia drivers allow you to control the power management state but as far as I know it has nothing to do with the link state power management.

Link state power management will decrease power/speed of the individual serial links on the PCIE bus.

 

Just like how the M17x wins over the NP9850, I think the W860CU (8690) wins over the M15x due to having better features. Had the M15x introduced an option for the 4870 it probably would have equalized things and justify Alienware's branding it of being the most powerful 15 inch notebook.

 

So did the OP actually order one?

 

I hope so!
I would love to see a full review.
Games,benchmarks,fan noise,temps, everything.....
Does anyone think the 300 series GPU's will be a option at some point in the next 6 months?

 

What is OP??

Optimus Prime??
One Piece??
OpenID Provider??
Orchard Park??

 

LOL!
Original Poster.
I think

 

Yes I wanted to know if Optimus Prime bought one. The ultimate endorsement. lol

 

You could carry one extra battery, even two on the Sager - and still weigh less than the AW.

 

hey...
OP here....well im sorry if i disappoint some of u, but i havent ordered one yet....like i said...im waiting for the reviews myself...for reviews about the temperatures,benchmarks,and more...but if i do place an order any time soon, ill definitely do the tests and post the results here.
But i do have some news...ive found a nice(not video) review for the new m15x(with the i7 processor)...some or maybe many of u might have seen a review(maybe not this one)...here goes
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews.php?reviewid=843&pageid=1
oh and the reason i havent posted here for the past few days is because of street fighter 4 ...god im addicted to the game

 

Forum members will start receiving the M15x on Monday. Should be interesting.

 

yeah...hopefully some results will be posted here......

 

Early results have been posted in the AW forums. They have been mixed so far but it was confirmed that the 280 works with the M15x.

 

thats nice to know...ill go check out the forums

 

Seems that the M15x is off to a rocky launch.

 

I'd be embarassed to lug around the M15x, what a horrible looking laptop. I thought the Asus with it's blue painting and lights was kiddy looking but AW takes the cake. The Sager/Clevo blows the AW away in aesthetics.

 

i think the M15x could use some adjustments but i think the designs are equal.

the 860/870 are the first sagers that i really like. I will not reccomend the M15x to any one over the sager

 

I have ordered a w860cu, I did look at the M15x. A few reasons why I went for the Clevo

1) The best hardware in a 15" I could find anywhere
2) A great price at Kobalt computers
3) Complete rip-off for upgrades at Dell
4) The design! I would feel a complete idiot with that big red flashing thing. Plus it screams out to every chav youth 'steal me'
5) The design
6) The design

 

yeah....it does scream out "steal me", and at uni it would look childish.
lol, the design twice

 

Yeah, doesn't seem worth it.

 

I love the w860cu as well and would love to buy. The only problem is that if I do I'll lose a bit performance wise (comparing to SLi 8800gtx).
So better wait.. even if i LOVE the design (I am tired of big scary things as my DELL or the AWs's) and the hardware is great! I would definitely go for a SSD and the weight is also a good point. And yes, I would buy it from Kobalt.. price is great.
No comparable to m15x IMO.

for those who would buy it... congrats!

 

I'd keep the M1730 for a while, its a sweet machine - if you want single GPU laptops that beats it, it's not a short wait.

 

I have seen SLI add an extra 30 fps to some games and more in some cases. I have seen benchmarks where people got way over an extra 30 fps. In the new Operation Flashpoint - Dragon Rising, a user reported getting an extra 25 fps from enabling SLI on that.

You would definitely be losing a lot of performance by buying that when compared to your current model.

I would buy the new NP8690 too but since they didn't give the GPU a big enough upgrade, it simply isn't worth it for me either.

 

so true, would you really take this to work....Or maybe it not aimed at the middle aged gamer like me....

 

In truth, the M15x is not designed for any type of business setting where I'd need to be taken seriously.

 

Take a Alienware M15x to work, being Alienated is what you get.

 

unless you work with a bunch of tech geeks...

That's how I saw my first Alienware.

 

...... actually quite the opposite .... they see AW and go hummm he is serious vs a Sager ... it sounds like a Chinese knock off

not saying it is, just throwing out a Alternative theory. ( as stated before i prefer the Clevo in the 15 inch field)

 

NP8690 vs. m15x = paying $1,500 or almost $2,000 more for looks, or just as a premium (the name), and you lose the GTX 280M. Hands down: The Sager is the way to go. Also, DELL is the worst in terms of drivers, crapware, and OC'ing capabilities. However, it is good to see that both these machines have a separate dedicated cooling system for the GPU (fan and heat pipes, etc.). I'm currently saving for the NP8690, but I have a feeling there's more options just around the corner, which usually means a significant price drop too (at least that's my bet for the SAGER). I bet we'll see the same configuration in the NP8662 or similar chassis soon also.

Off topic, but I used to have an ASUS G1Sn-B1, and although it looked nice; I'll never buy ASUS again, because of their horrible customer service, and complete disregard for continued support (Blatent avoidance for fixing BIOS issues - even after hundreds of end-users identified and confirmed the problems).

 

I will say the 8690 with the 280M is great, but I priced out similar spec'd rigs and they are awfully close in price with Bing cash back (10%). This is assuming you don't do something idiotic and try to load up on Alienware overpriced extras/upgrades to inflate the price versus doing the smart thing and ordering upgrades via Newegg or elsewhere.

The price difference is nowhere near $1500-$2000.

 

Yea dud your off somewhere

Dells drivers are fine .... He'll we have had 3 bios's so far...


And your saying the only company with the only laptop with a unlocked bios sucks for overclocking ????

Also I never knew clevo let you overclock non extreme CPUs




Also the gtx280m is at MOST 10% faster .... But I have yet to see any one beat my 260 score ....

 

I have a business-and-pleasure laptop (i.e. use at both work and home) that's perfectly suited for it - Vostro 1500.

I love it's black featureless boxiness and sturdy construction. If it had red stripes or LEDs everywhere pulsing different colours every second or other stupid bling like highlighted WASD keys (I use RDFG, more keys available for left pinky) I'd hardly feel professional.

Now I'm very much looking at the 8690 for the same reason. But with much more grunt in it obviously

If it lasts 2 years of 70+hrs per week like this workhorse has, well, I'll be more than happy.

EDIT: and regarding Dell BIOSes, that they've stuffed up so bad as to want you to flash your BIOS three times already, that's not exactly a good thing. I haven't bothered to install the latest BIOS for my lappy as I already controlled fan speed and didn't need the silly hack to force it on (borked Nvidia card issue)