**OFFICIAL W860CU/NP8690 Owners Lounge**

It looks like GTX 285M and HD5870 are going to supported in W860CU and W870CU. The HD5870 is DX11 and with GDDR5 and more likely will outperform GTX 285M DX10 GDDR3. GTX 285M is OLD GPU with a new name - same spec as GTX 280M just lower price. If you can't get HD5870 from Clevo or Clevo dealers you can use 3rd party HD5870 MXM 3.0b modules- there are few places that you can get. So I think it's time to move up to better and newer ATi HD5xxx technology

 

As a future owner, hope it's a straight replacement, with no price hike.

 

any source for that or is it just a guess?

 

The HD5870 is not GDDR5 - its GDDR3 (information on the official Asus G73JH-A1 thread). However, there's some pretty good explanations on that thread as to why this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

Pictures don't lie. However, it's based on RV850, which has 128-bit memory bus. We're getting nowhere, fast.

 

Eeep - my bad, I meant its 128 bit not 256 bit, you're right about GDDR5, got confused!

 

Hello - have a 3 month old W860CU from Eurocom - the 1900x1080 widescreen mode.

I notice that the default monitor only supports up to 60 hertz refresh rate. I notice that whenever there is a gray/coloured background or in a game, the right side of the screen noticeably flickers. Not so visible on white or black backgrounds.

Tried poking around to update my monitor drivers, but seems only the default ones are available. The screen flicker is not huge, but annoying. I don't think this is a mechanical fault with the display - but is this common, and any solutions? I know that maybe a higher refresh rate would fix it, but for life of me can't increase it.

Cheers.

 

60hz is normal. LCDs don't actually have refresh rates, and 60hz is the normal setting for them as far as Windows is concerned.

 

can i output audio from hdmi??thanxx

 

Yes. Here's how to, according to Sager's User Manual:

HDMI Audio Configuration
As HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) carries both audio and video signals
you will need to configure the audio output as per the instructions below. The
settings will depend upon the video card you have installed in your purchase option.
Windows Audio Setup for HDMI
1. Click Start, and click Control Panel (or point to Settings and click Control Panel).
2. Click Sound (Hardware and Sound).
3. Click Playback (tab), and click to select Realtek Digital Output.
4. Click Set Default (button).
5. Click OK to close the Sound control panel.
6. You will now be able to hear audio sources when played in Windows Media Player.

Hope this helps!

 

For them Linux-people: Intel Turbo Boost requires Kernel version 2.6.33-rc5 or higher.

 

Future owner of w860cu, just wondering what are the overclocking options processor wise? I will be getting it with the 720qm and I'm not too familiar with the 1.6-2.8 max clock, as I have been reading around and it has been removed to keep the 70cu sales alive.

 

Max CPU Frequency per core number load i.e. "4 core: 1.73" means that when all 4 cores are under load the maximum speed Turbo Boost will ramp the CPU up to is 1.73GHz:

i7-720QM

Max Intel Turbo Boost Frequency (GHz):

4 core: 1.73
3 core: 1.73
2 core: 2.40
1 core: 2.80


i7-820QM

Max Intel Turbo Boost Frequency (GHz):

4 core: 2.00
3 core: 2.00
2 core: 2.80
1 core: 3.06


i7-920XM

Max Intel Turbo Boost Frequency (GHz):

4 core: 2.26
3 core: 2.26
2 core: 3.06
1 core: 3.20

 

So whenever my screen has to go from white to black, it leaves behind a green afterimage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tYbGTWXfg0&hd=1

Here's a video I made. Unfortunately with compression it doesn't show it when I move the window over the logo, but you can see it as a trail following my mouse, and also as a trail when the gears in the movie intro rotate across the screen.

 

what driver version are uou using?

 

Let me guess, you'll tell him to use 186.81, lol..

I have 186.81 and I also notice that screen prob with my w860cu so I think it's pretty normal.

 

really??
i dont see it on mine lol

 

You need to experiment more with your laptop. Change your windows 7 theme to pure black and you will notice that when you hover the mouse you will notice green traces.

 

my desktop background has been pure black ever since. i dont have those green traces.

 

Whoa, what's with all the adjacent post quotes. I can't seem to reproduce the mouse trails either. The video shows the trails quite noticeably. I will look into this.

 

yes it does
has this been 'reported' in this thread before?

 

I don't think it has. This is something I haven't seen before in our notebooks.

 

I see it as well on mine, but it is so dim I barely ever notice it, especially since it does not come up in regular use.

 

Same here.

 

I don't see this green trail either. On my previous laptop which didn't have such high quality screen you could see it.

 

Oh, we should probably mention if we have the FullHD or HD+ screen. Mine is FullHD.

 

soooo
anyone else getting the intermittent fan buzzing? mine will start on random occasions but seems to be when the lappy is under stress ie. gaming

goes away in 10-20 min but not something i want to see regularly obviously

 

If I try watching a movie, and the guy is wearing a hat that is dark on the underside, if he moves around he will have green rings appearing on the underside of his hat.

It also comes up in games, and even in Internet scrolling.

It is definitely a major issue. I'm calling Sager tomorrow.

 

So does this mean our screens have problems?

 

Hi all,

Just thought I'd finally introduce myself. Been lurking for the past few weeks, and doing tons of research. But today, I finally contributed to the economy by pulling the trigger on a new NP8690! Spoke to Justin @ XOTIC PC who was very friendly and helpful, answering my questions and fulfilling my order.

I took the base model and upgraded to a i7-820QM, 8 gigs of RAM, 500 gig HD, and the full HD display. I know that NVIDIA's newer 300 series chips are right around the corner, but am quite content with the 285m.

Along with various gaming, I'll also be throwing SQL Server onto the box to use as another development machine. Cannot wait to get my new machine! I'm really looking forward to it. With some luck, hopefully I'll have it in my hands by the end of next week? Too much to hope for?

Cheers all... thanks for all of the fantastic information!

 

Welcome aboard.

 

I'll put it this way: I showed Sager that Youtube video, and now I have an RMA number.

The only question they asked me was: Have you tried hooking it up to an external monitor? Yes, I have, and the problem did not appear on the external.

 

Oh my goodness, I thought that was normal!

So those green mouse trails are defects of some kind?

Did you try to switch drivers for this issue before RMA'ing it?

 

Okay, I give up. I tried to reproduce the trails in dark colored and black backgrounds and scenes but to no avail. This was tested on fresh installs of 186.81 WHQL and 196.34 beta, and with vsync forced on and off.

 

may have missed it but has anybody tried out BIOS V 1.01.04s released in the sager website, supposedly with advanced chipset control?

 

No. Sager didn't even mention it.

 

@-V-
Did you try the font settings?For the pointer there is a option to show trails, try disabling it.
It's worth a shot!

 

No ghosting on my 8760, I have the HS screen and 920. Not the best screen I have seen but is fine.

 

It's anything that involves a transition from black to white on the screen. The cursor is just a good way of showing it on video. Trust me, it's fairly ubiquitous.

 

So this is an isolated case? Is it already confirmed to be a defect in the LCD? Or it might just be settings or something? You, me, and another guy have confirmed this problem already.

I hate this, I'm very unlucky with Clevo laptops RMA'ing the whole laptop is just too burdensome and expensive for me since I live internationally.

 

This is not an isolated case. This is normal for all TN panels with slower response times. I don't know the specs of the panels you guys have in your notebooks, and I'm surprised to say that I do not know the specific model or specs of my AUO panel in my notebook either as the model number doesn't seem to exist in my searches, so I don't know the response time they are rated for. But this is a typical case of ghosting where moving images tend to blur due to high refresh latency. At first I was thrown off by -V-'s video thinking that it was only the camera as the trails were very pronounced, but now I see that it is nothing more than image ghosting that is amplified by the asynchronous recording from -V-'s camera. This is sort of a loophole for Clevo sellers as it is not mentioned in their warranty statements. But if Sager is giving you the green light to RMA it, then you have that option, though know that a replacement panel is not going to eliminate ghosting entirely as this isn't considered a defect whatsoever and that this is just how TN panels operate unfortunately. There are even pickier people out there that b*tch about 8ms panels, and those are incredibly hard to distinguish at 60Hz (60fps) in my opinion.

Most manufacturers rate their panels based on the time a pixel takes to change from grey-to-grey. You are seeing the "trails" because you are displaying a near opposite change in color in which the pixel needs to reposition itself to it's full extent to bend light to change from black-to-white. This takes longer to achieve and even if the response time is synced with the refresh rate of the screen, for example 60Hz/16.667ms, you will still see some "trails" to some extent. However, the fact stands that almost all notebook LCD panels have a response time of around 25ms, including my beloved LG LP171WU1 TLA2 on my previous M570TU, which is slower than average. I'm not surprised that ghosting exists on your panels. I'm pretty sure this exists on my panel as well, but I am going to flag myself for subjectivity as my eyes may not be the best anymore. I strongly suggest that you guys just dust this "issue" off your shoulders before it escalates into a bigger "false issue" like the fiasco with the black EMI sticker over the CPU fan and the RAM overheating if it is removed. Keep your notebooks and move on.

 

Thanks for this information. I never thought of this as a problem until -V- made it an issue in this thread.

And I'm also wondering why trvlbug doesn't experience the same thing with his panel.

 

His eyes are probably as bad as mine, though that's bad from my perspective since he is almost twice my age. Earlier today I decided to give it one last go and put up a black background and swirl my mouse cursor around. I found that I can see it best if I move the cursor in a straight line (there's the Asian stereotype again) as opposed to moving it in circles like I've done in my few previous attempts. It's not as prominent as -V-'s video, but it is there and it is subtle. I'm pretty sure you know from my previous discussions about displays that I put very little interest and care into the quality and that I can live happy even with an eight bit monochrome display, so I'm really not phased by this whatsoever. This is mainly in part because this is a normal occurrence for TN panels and that I was raised in a working class family that doesn't impose the take it for granted, materialist, perfectionist mentality. I actually found it fun for the first few minutes after I was able to train my eyes to see the trails; I kept strafing my mouse around grinning to myself. I guess the point here is that there is a human psychological aspect that determines how noticeably the trails will appear to us. My best response to that is just don't think about it. We should just enjoy whatever we are viewing on our screens whether it be the fragmented body parts of people on the opposing team or body parts of smoking hot import car show models.

 

Had a very odd issue the other day. I was trying to rip a dvd that I purchased and the bluray (not burner) combo drive was having a very hard time playing it, let alone ripping it. Got many I/O errors and the like. This is the first time I have had this issue and I asked for a replacement disc which was sent and the same issues again so it wasn't a bad pressing. I then decided to try ripping it on my older IBM Thinkpad and it went just fine?!
So I was wondering if there is some firmware update out there for the HL-DT-ST CT10N drive that I have that may fix this issue.

 

That's great. I, as well, do not care about screen quality as long as there is no problem with it or whatsoever. If all W860CU users experience the same green trail, so be it, you did not see me complaining about the screen 2 months ago when we were talking about the heat issues in my CPU.

I will try to make a video as soon as I receive my memory kit.

 

I just purged my inbox of all PM's older than two weeks, and I can't quite remember if I asked you this already or not: were you able to get your CPU exchanged?

 

@ ss
your right about the age thing
but i tried looking at it again and asked some younger people to try yo spot it, but its just not there.
that green ghosting posted was really obvious.
kinda feel for kev though. i understand how difficult it is...

 

Yeap, Shirley exchanged the CPU.

So is 80C still the max throttling limit of the 920XM? Or even the 820 and 720QM for that purpose?

 

For the 920XM, the cores will push forward with 2.26GHz up to around 60*C, then from that temperature on the cores will push 2.13GHz. At around 75*C, the notorious Turbo Boost will cut back the overclock and drop the speed down to LFM for a few seconds until the temps reach around 72*C and then kick back into 2.13GHz. If Turbo Boost is disabled, the clocks will operate at HFM regardless of temperature. My observation here is that Turbo Boost as well as the ACPI dictates the points at which the CPU will be allowed to overclock and fall back. Personally, I would much prefer a traditional static overclock or a more relaxed Turbo Boost where the cutoff point would be nearer to the CPU's TJMax as opposed to in the mid 70's. This doesn't apply to me as much as my CPU never reaches that high, even in the stress test; I needed to choke the CPU fan by blocking the exhaust vent with a tshirt in order to quickly drive temps that high. Also, I haven't finished modding my CPU heatsink completely so there is still a bit of headroom left to utilize after it's done. But for you, I see this as a potential problem as you have both a fireball CPU and you live in a tropical region. Lately here, there temperature has been getting warmer, and I recently ran a CPU stress test just to cycle a new application of X23. I am drawing closer to the conclusion that the Q3B8 920XM's run hotter than the OEM 920XM, but I will need to do final tests on my own accord. I have a friend in one of my classes that recently bought an HP dv7t and the Q3B8 920XM on eBay. He asked me to be the one to install the CPU onto his notebook, but before I do that I will be testing it in my W870CU just to reassure my previous hypotheses. Because of the position I am in, I will most likely only release the results of my testing to you, kevindd992002, and the few others that PM'ed me about the Q3B8 920XM.

If they are surface scratches then it's not going to pose a problem for cooling. If they are nicks or deeper scratches where you can actually see a scratch engraving into the die surface, than it will affect thermal performance depending on the degree of the scratch. Though in the end, if it's a minor scratch, the affect it will have on temps will be on the marginal level. If it's a more severe scratch or a nick, then you should just plain exchange it as that is already on the grounds of actual damage.

 

Alright, I will wait for the results of your testing. Good to know that at least you can actually test the Q3B8 920XM now

Actually this is the 3rd time I RMA'd it to Shirley because of the nicks in the CPU. First CPU had no nicks, but as I thought it was defective I RMA'd it. 2nd CPU had one nick and RMA'd it again. 3rd CPU has two nicks, thought they are of the size of a dot as I've said.

When Shirley received the 2nd CPU, he told me that there were no nicks, he doesn't believe me, but still sent me the 3rd CPU. Surprisingly, when I received the 3rd CPU there were even 2 nicks and Shirley doesn't want to do the process all over again. I too was tired of sending it back to him but he just won't believe that there are nicks. So I'm stuck with this 3rd CPU.

At first, I thought those were dirt of some kind, tried cleaning them with Alcohol but they just won't come off.

Is the exposed core just for thermal mechanism? Or are there components on that actual metal that can be affected by the nicks?