[Review] Sager NP8652 / Clevo P650SG with 980m Initial Impressions and Review by HTWingNut

I plan to get a new system that I need to use primarily for gaming (Witcher 3, Battlefield 4, Evil Within etc. all maxed out) and school work. I haven't decided between the NP8652 or the NP9752 yet (still awaiting for review and benchmarks for the latter). Whichever laptop I get eventually, I plan to keep it for the next 5 years or so. Relatively cool temperatures and stable performance are important to me (I don't want to use a laptop cooler if I can help it)

I'm not big into upgrading so i'm not sure at this point if i'll be opening up the laptop anytime, but then again I may as well.

A few key considerations to me that I would appreciate opinions on:

1) Is Nvidia Optimus a hindrance to gaming? Anyone have experience on this?

2) For both laptops, what is the fastest RAM that I can get? Do they both accept DDR3 2133Mhz? and can I upgrade to even faster speeds later on? US resellers seem to offer the 1866Mhz as the fastest but I wonder if they will start to offer the 2133 anytime soon?

3) Is getting an M.2 SSD drive worth it at this point or do you think the regular SSD's (Samsung 850 evo or evo pro) work just fine for gaming?

4) From the little I read of initial impressions from overseas vendors (EU mostly) of the NP9752 suggest that the CPU (4790 and 4790K) run hot. If that's the case I haven't noticed any re sellers in the US offer the 4790S yet (except for rjtech). Do you think this might get offered as an option in the future by other resellers?

Cheers!

 

For #3, when I looked around prices on the M.2 SSD's are very expensive (from a price/capacity standpoint). The laptop will support a SATA SSD, IMO that is a better value option for now.
In the future when M.2 SSD prices come-down eventually then you can always add one later.

 

Yeah, plus I guess the performance gain for gaming isn't going to be worth the extra cost. Thanks!

 

alright, lets do this:

first of all, if ure really planning to keep that machine for 5 years "or so" id DEFINITELY get an extended warranty. vendor with the longest available all-inclusive warranty (parts, labour, pickup & return and first 2 years express repair service) that i know of is mySn. just beware that their pricing is a bit higher than other vendors, but ure paying for quality there as well same goes for US resellers / vendors, check their warranty options to make sure u get the best out of your machine for the next 5 years. especially in the case of the P65x, one default component and ull basically have to switch out the whole motherboard, resulting in tremendous cost if u have to pay them urself!

now to your key considerations:

1) optimus *can* be a hindrance to gaming, but doesnt have to be. its pretty simple, really: the more components involved, the more likely it is that something can go wrong. its the same with switchable graphics: ull need to install two sets of drivers instead of one, but itll boost ur battery time significantly. also, u wont be able to use 3D functionality, ur display output will have an extra lag (several ms) and u wont be able to overclock your display refresh rate if you choose to do so. these are the facts, so check and see whats most important to you

2) RAM speed depends on two things: the RAM sticks themselves and the memory controller that....u guessed right, controls them and their communication with the rest of the system the memory controller in this case in built into the CPU, thus called an integrated memory controller (IMC). and as with a regular CPU overclock, the maximum attainable RAM speed will depends on how sturdy the IMC in the CPU is. as long as u can get it to manage 2133 sticks then you should be fine AS LONG AS u got urself sticks that are rated at that speed. side note: IMCs on desktop cpus are way more stable and stress-resistant than their mobile counterparts

3) M.2 drives are only great when it comes to sequential speeds. do you need to transfer huge amounts of LARGE file sizes? e.g. movies, iso files, zipped files, etc? if thats the case, then M.2 drives are for you. if ure more interested in everyday performance with the operating system and loading times in games, the high-end 2.5" drives such as the 850 pro series are actually FASTER than any M.2 drive available atm. why? easy, its all in the SMALL file size performance, and in that area M.2 drives arent just "there yet". so best to wait until theyre actually significantly faster and then go for them.

4) why bother waiting for a reseller or vendor to offer them? just get urself the machine with the base cpu (cheapest), buy the 4790K or regular 4790 as an aftermarket upgrade at amazon / best buy / ebay / whatever and install it urself. its not that difficult, really then sell off the base cpu or keep it as a spare part and be happy u didnt pay the reseller premium

cheers!

PS: i dont mind answering such stuff here, but people, PLEASE do some research of your own before posting such questions here. all this stuff can be found out EASILY by the use of google dont just lean back, do a "drive-by posting" here with questions and expect to be spoon-fed everything, mkay? be self-sufficient, i know you can do it!

 

For the memory, it looks like the Clevo page specifies 1600 Mhz for each different CPU's. See 藍天Clevo

Not sure if buying faster memory is worth it.

 

I can attest that the machine will run 1866MHz RAM stock if the RAM has a JEDEC entry for it. With Prema's mod I'm able to run my 2133MHz Corsair Vengeance at 2133MHz. It does result in a bit more "snappy" system but really not that big of a deal and you're money could be better spent elsewhere honestly.

 

Thank you, jaybee83, lammah and HTWingNut for the responses. Appreciate the input

 

My sticks of Kingston HyperX run just peachy at 2133MHz, but get the HX321LS11IBK2/16 and not the B2K2. The BK2 seem to be slightly older and have tighter timings (11-11-11 as opposed to 11-12-13), not much unlike Kingstons V240 SSD shenanigans.

 

1866mhz is an excellent partner for haswell systems.

 

Thank you, Meaker and tijgert.

Next up, if I get the 8652, I want to get the glossy screen because I like to see the colors pop out and believe it gives a good gaming experience. I don't want a 4K screen though as 1080p gaming is good for me.

Is this the screen to upgrade to from the default matt screen? Screen for Sager NP8651. Replacement Laptop LCD Screens

Can't seem to find glossy 1080p screen option for the 8652 specifically, so that link is for the 8651.

Cheers!

 

Probably gonna snag one of these machines to replace my alienware r3 for now. Price/performance looks pretty darn good and I'm willing to overlook the BGA and lack of MxM as I can afford to replace it in 2-3 years.

 

This model gives you proper trade offs for portability and weight at least.

 

How is the cooling and noise on this compared to the MSI GS60 064? I'm so torn between these two computers. The price comes out pretty similar and I feel I get more bang for the buck but I am scared of going with a non mainstream company.

 

Cooling and noise is much better on the Clevo. The GS60 runs faster and higher pitched and constantly. I really liked the Ghost Pro. Just you are limited with expansion options and the fans run constantly.

 

I appreciate your insight and thanks for all of your effort you put into these reviews as well. Makes looking for a new machine much easier.

 

The clevo/sager is designed to handle a higher level of components at the end of the day.

 

It's also thicker and that definetly helps..

 

Because of the increased thickness he fans draw in case air as well as outside air. That's particularly handy when you obstruct the vents with your lap.

 

A thicker notebook does help with that yes, but for the component temperatures the thicker heatsinks increase surface area and the the thicker fans push more air at the same RPM giving much greater cooling ability.

 

Maybe wrong topic but I'm considering buying the 17' version of this bad boy. Would it last me longer than the Aorus x7 pro v3?

I'd like to still be able to game on it in 3 years without major issues, is that unrealistic?

Thanks guys (and awesome review!).

 

The Aorus using dual 970m would be more performance than the single 980m would garner. That performance would only translate to titles that are well optimized for SLI though and not every game is especially when first released. Single 980m would be more foolproof and work well, but if you're willing to wait for SLI profiles to be made/tweaked the SLI setup would be better as far as gaming is concerned. Whether 3 years is realistic, I bet it is but there really is no way to predict the requirements of games that far down the path.

 

with some tweaking one might reach 970M sli performance with a 980M considering its about 30% faster than a single 970M at stock already

 

Yeah, I guess as far as thin laptops are concerned is this one or the clevo (the GS don't come with a 980)... So SLI at 3GB VRAM or single card at 4GB. Gah . Or I could buy a new brick but after 4 years with an m17x r3 I'd like something a bit thinner .

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the vRAM amount in all honesty. A lot of focus is put on it but most people have no need for more than 3gb let alone 4gb. Typically if you need it you'll know specifically that you need it and wouldn't even mention having to make the choice Comes in handy for stuff like 3D modeling and the like. I don't think even Skyrim with the highres texture packs use up more than 3gb.

 

Agreed but if 3GB is already below some game recommended spec then that makes you believe that anything below 4GB would have trouble running games in ultra in 1.5-2 years no?

 

Future of games isn't something that can be easily predicted, 3gb is likely going to be sufficient for your needs as you'll likely going to tap the performance of the GPU before you reach the vRAM limit.

 

Now you're making me doubt again! Thanks for the helpful perspective though.

 

All in a days work!

 

Maybe not in benchmarks but a single card can provide a smoother experience due to lower variation in frame times.

 

I am really torn between getting the 8652 or the 9752.

I really like that the 8652 is thinner and lighter. The chassis seems very premium. I am thinking of getting it with the Micron 600 1tB SSD. I do not like that the CPU and GPU are soldered. I am one of those people that change my laptop when parts become obsolete, but if parts become damaged, I like to be able to change them out. All in (with IPS FHD, Office, a 3 year warranty, Thermal Paste and Pixel warranty) I am looking at $2500.

The 9752 is an entirely different animal. I would probably get the 4790K and 980m (8gb). Torn on the XP941 512gb or the Micron 600 500gb M.2. This machine is just a powerhouse and will be current enough for me for a very long time (I don't have to be able to run the latest games at highest def, in fact medium would be perfectly fine). I am thinking this machine would probably give me a good 3-5 years at least. I like that it is more performance oriented and has 8gb of VRAM. I am worried about the heat management issue, and it is, of course, about $400-500 more expensive when configured similar to the 8652.

HALP!

 

Quick question: Is there a 120hz screen replacement for the 8652? and will that be beneficial for gaming or does the 60hz give adequate performance and there is no need to switch? Appreciate opinions in resolving this confusion..

 

not that i know. thing is, that this model uses thin panels as opposed to previous 15 inch clevo displays. also, it would only be beneficial in scenarios with more than 60fps, and there arent many games u can max out at 120fps with all details maxxed

aside from that, a 120hz display wouldnt do u much good in this case, since optimus machines are restricted to a maximum of 60hz output!

 

Image by Anirudh.am posted Jan 31, 2015 at 12:44 PM

Hey guys I'm fairly new to the laptop scene cuz I've mostly been a MacBook pro user so I was deciding on getting this, I live in Canada and I have a max budget of3000 but like if I order from reflex notebook with the following specs
Sharp display I love it cuz I know someone who has it it is way better than the Samsung
8 gb ram
And the must is 2* 128 gb m.2 sad for raid1
I am getting a price of 3300 after tax and is and if I ship it directly from Sager I'm paying 3000 without tax and for 2999 from xotic pc but I don't know how much the tax will come to plus is it possible for me to get it Cheever anywhere else?
All co figs running win8
I'm even looking at the eurocom m5 pro but I'm slightly concerned as even though they are using the p650se chassis they still have the i7 4720 and the 980m which I thought weren't possible but they cost less then my other options

 

I also am from Canada and after weeks of research have come to the conclusion the eurocom m5 pro is a great option. Very affordable and they offer a 10% student/education discount. I have a teacher spouse so I'm in and it's not too tough to find a student if your not! I am just researching different screen options and am going to pull the trigger. 1900$Can delivered for a base model with OS installed seems to be the best deal out there for 980m portable gaming laptop.

 

It definitely is. I wrote up a review of the M5 and my experience with Eurocom.

 

;k

 

I skimmed the thread and I don't think I saw it in the benchmarks but does running a 4k panel and downscaling to 1080p affect gaming performance much or is it nominal with a standard 1080p panel? I'm debating the 4k panel for my purchase. Is there any way to get some photos of the panel with a few games running to see how the scaling to 1080p looks?

 

theres no loss in performance when scaling from 4K to 1080p.

as far as user reports go, 1080p on the sharp 4k looks pretty darn good/crisp

 

Thanks jaybee! *edit* Scratch that on the panel question I had up here. Looks like the Samsung is equal to the task of the Sharp but the Sharp comes at a premium (unsure as to why though)...unless there's a compelling reason to go with the Sharp I'll likely go with the Samsung.

Another question: I've read back through the thread and HT is reporting the stock display panel as TN, but I've also seen a reseller on the thread as well as resellers like Mythlogic having matte IPS panels as stock. Which is it? TN or IPS as stock? Are these resellers putting 1080p IPS panels in place of the stock panels?

 

The answer may be different as far as which place you're referring to. Sager stock should be a TN panel and so all resellers will have the same. System builders, such as Mythlogic, have the ability to put what they want in as default so may be different.

 

2) Most customer services suck nowadays. How is Sagers/Xotic PC's?

My experience with XoticPC has been nothing but great, between Derek, Hutsady, and Tanner working as the middlemen between you and Sager, you have a solid team. Derek answers e-mail so fast it's ludicrous sometimes

 

I was unable to make Precision X16 work on my np8652, loading it both from EVGA and again from Steam, either way as soon as the program starts windows reports that it broke and needs to be closed. I am able to get the msi Afterburner to work though, all I want is a FPS on screen display with GPU temp so I can set the resolution for the games I install. I do not intend to overclock anything at this time.

I then noticed that I am unable to see or set the fan speed for the 980m in the Afterburner program. I know the notebook has a fan on the GPU (perhaps 2 I think), but are they considered case fans by the hardware so that the GPU programs don't recognize it and can increase them?

Is there another way to tell the fans to stay on?

For those that care; I'm actually able to play games like Starcraft 2 and Guild Wars 2 at 3840x2160, with no drops below 40fps on my 4k screen, looks nice, I'm impressed. Haven't installed any graphic extensive FPS games yet, I'm anticipating putting them at 1080 of course.

 

But my main problem is how are they using the 980m and the 4720 HQ when clvo them selves ship it only with the 4710 and the 970 so since the chasis is the 650 se which has the cpu and GPU woldered onto the board how have they managed to upgrade it

 

Yeah you can change the frequency if you flash a custom/modified bios

 

check clevo´s websites for the respective models:

http://www.clevo.com.tw/clevo_prodetail.asp?id=711&lang=en
http://www.clevo.com.tw/clevo_prodetail.asp?id=737&lang=en

basically, clevo indeed offers these machines in various flavours: 970M/4710HQ, 970M/4720HQ, 980M/4710HQ, 980M/4720HQ being the most common.

initially, the 4710HQ was the predominant CPU, but now lots of vendors have switched to its slightly more powerful "successor", the 4720HQ. anything above that is "officially" offered by Clevo, but vendors have refrained from using those higher-tier CPU models due to thermal concerns in that thin chassis.

 

I get that but when I spoke to someone at their office they say that the chassis they use is the 650se which only supports the 970. http://www.clevo.com.tw/clevo_prodetail.asp?id=711&lang=en

 

yes thats correct. SE = 970M / SG = 980M / SA = 965M

the SA/SE chassis have identical dimensions, whereas the SG chassis is 3-4 mm thicker to thermally accomodate the 980M

all three can be comined with different CPU models each

 

Quick question about memory upgrade:

So I was planning on getting a 16GB (8x2) G.skill 2133mhz memory for the P650SG, however its out of stock at newegg. Instead if I get two separate 8GB (8x1) g.skill 2133mhz memory and install the, would it make a difference? Are there likely to be compatibility issues or anything like that? Appreciate the input..

The memory I am referring to are below:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231760
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231759

 

Those speeds are not officially supported, most chips work fine but some don't. Also be aware 1866mhz is the sweet spot for haswell. Faster makes no difference for the VAST majority of applications.

 

The reason i went for the sharp display. is because it is an izgo display it has very little to no color and blacklight bleed plus it uses less power which equals. To more battery life and the fact that. The colors and the contrast is way better which make it with the premium