**OFFICIAL W860CU/NP8690 Owners Lounge**

Uhm... not really no. They come off like normal screws

 

They may be fitted with blue threadlock - mine were. A little bit of force should break the seal if they are.

 

have these always been sans-vga?

would an older revision chassis have a VGA port?

 

well, nowadays most new external out use dvi or HDMI, but even if you need vga out, usually an adaptor ( DVI>VGA) comes in package

 

Yeah, my concern is that I might forget the adapter on a trip and have issues connecting to a projector.

Speaking of which, what is the travel weight of this notebook? Has anyone tried lugging one around the country?

 

i have brought it around on trips and holidays.
i use a backpack as i feel a messenger bag may be too straining in the shoulders.
we are allowed to carry a laptop bag/camera bag aside from your regular hand carry in my country and the weight of this is never checked. but im guessing my backpack will go up to 15lbs with all accessories and such.

 

just realized that my notebook was the most powerfull among my friends in my school ^_^
and the bulkiest one too -_-"

 

^you are not alone...

 

Hah, yeah, I had the realization my laptop is more powerful than many of my friends desktops =)

 

So, my brother and I both own a clevo w860cu.

He has an i7 820qm, I have a i7 720qm. He has a gtx 280m, I have a 5870m.
Our idle temperatures:
He(820qm, 280m): cpu 40°C , gpu 38°C
Me(720wm,5870m) : cpu 48°C, gpu 51°C
Both at the same ambient temperature of around 20°C.
How come he has much lower idle temps? I would expect the 720qm to run cooler than the 820qm because it's weaker(=> has a lower TDP). The 280m has an even larger temperature gap compared with the 5870m, is the 280m really that much cooler or do I have a problem with my system?
His fans are also much more quiet at these temperatures, the difference really is staggering.
Both notebooks were ordered from the same manufacturer, kobaltcomputers.
Also quiet mode is much louder on my system than his.
Should I contact my retailer and try to get replacement fans/have them look into it? My brother's system runs like a breeze, mine runs like a storm in comparison. It's really getting in the way of me enjoying my purchase.
edit: to clarify, the difference in noise levels is what bothers me most. whether this is due to bad fans/bad cooling paste/bad whatever I don't know, I just want a normal system like my brother has

 

first of all, the difference between 720qm and 820qm is not in TDP, both are 45W procs.

about the difference between 280m and 5870m, it is actually that one you notice. this is because of the implementation of nvidia's powermizer. ati's powerplay has not yet been activated on 5870m, so the card runs always at 700/1000 frequences at the stock voltage. WHEN (did say that on purpose, hope it will not be IF). powerplay will be implemented, the card will run cooler and the notebook will be quieter.

 

@logion - download amd gpu clock tool, manual downclock the gpu core speed yourself. for daily usage, youtube/facebook games, the lowered gpu handles everything well and your fan will less noisier

 

@logion - As what DextoR was saying our 5870MRs don't have powerplay yet.

You might want to look into this (with reference to genocidew's post):
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...w-underclock-your-ati-5870-automatically.html

It's not the best solution but it works really well. Here are some info from my system

Room temperature: 23C
Notebook cooler: none but my laptop is at least vertically two inches away from my desk (held up by - shamed to say - four emptied condiment bottles ...)
Thermal paste: Artic Silver 5
First used: May 6, 2010

My temps are as follows:
idle 200/300: 42C Min
idle 700/1000: 51C Min

 

@ logion

Do you still have the black sticker covering your CPU fan intake inside of your backplate?

 

The temperatures I posted was with downcloacking enabled. It does help a bit, but the 280m is still alot cooler.

No, this was already removed by kobaltcomputers.

 

I have those temps and my ambient temperature is 34C. Those are still fine temperatures IMO, as long as they don't go beyond 90C during use.

 

Your high idle is probably due to poor gpu heatsink contact as downclocked idle should be around 40 at your ambient temps. What are your load temps like.

 

have any of you guys tried the msi afterburner overclocking utility?
seems to allow gpu voltage change and fan speed control from the gui aside from the normal overclocking features:

MSI Afterburner

 

Last time I tried it, it wouldn't read or adjust voltage or fan speed on the 5870. It's designed for nVidia cards with limited functionality on ATI cards, unless something's changed in the last release. That is not suggested by the release notes.

 

Furmark maxed out at 90degrees. Don't know whether this is nominal.
@cooling paste: might be possible. Although kobaltcomputer.co.uk specifically mentions:
" MX-2 Thermal Paste is applied to every GPU and CPU during the build process for superior cooling and lower operating temperatures!"
Maybe they messed both the CPU/GPU up, I'm starting to hope that this is the case so I can apply the paste myself and be done with it. Any guide for this? Specifically on how to remove old paste and how to apply new paste?

Today was a hotter day, ambient temperature has gone up to 27 degrees(had some poor weather the last few weeks, now it's back to normal for this time of year).
Also installed the latest drivers(10.6), idle gpu temperature is still around 50-51degrees(downcloacked gpu to 200/300).
Would upgrading my bios help? GPU-z states 012.019.000.003.035951 as BIOS version.
CCC states:
BIOS-version 012.019.000.003
BIOS-partnumber TS35951.018
BIOS-date 2010/02/09
GPU-z also states that the fan speed is at 35-38%.

I've rerun furmark for 15minutes with a ambient temperature of 27degrees and it maxed out on 97degrees, is this normal or my temps too high?

 

Hi guys, I'm thinking about picking this one up, I was wondering if you could help me out with a few questions.

1. How is Clevo's quality and reliability? Have there been many instances of lemons/product defects?

2. I'll probably be buying at xoticpc. How is their warranty, and how long is the turnaround time if I had to send the laptop in for repair?

3. For heat management, is a notebook cooler and upgraded thermal paste necessary? I very likely won't be doing any benchmarking, maybe a stress test every once in a while though.

I'll probably be getting the i7-720qm and the GTX 285m, if that makes a difference in any of the questions.
Thanks in advance!

 

@ Logion: That's a little high, Logion. I ran Furmark (v1.8.2/Stability Test/Extreme Burning Mode/Post Fx/4x MSAA) for 15 minutes @ 700/1000 with 10.6 drivers and got maximum temp of 87C (memory) with core at 74C and shaders at 82C. You have the most recent vbios for your 5870m. In my experience, ambient temp affects idle temps, but has little or no effect on maximum operating temps.

Your GPU fan speed at 35-38% is low, if accurate. My fan speed increases to about 70% +/- (according to Everest Ultimate) at maximum temps during a Furmark run. Our cards are designed to operate with a minimum fan speed of 30%, increasing 1% or each 1C degree increase in temp above 45C. So at 97C, your fans ought to be running at 82% +/-. That may be your primary problem, but new paste, properly done, is never a bad idea when temps are high.

 

just wanted to pop in and say ~i luv this lappy~
i dont see upgrading this thing for a long time as it's already faster than I ever needed it to be

 

1.) You will rarely find a better quality laptop than Clevo mate. There are very few instances of defects. I recommend that you read more on the Clevo/Sager forums.

2.) Best to go to their website and find it out yourself so you are better informed with your purchase.

3.) I don't have a notebook cooler but I got AS5 when I bought mine.

Best to start browsing through this thread mate. Happy researching!

 

3) Notebook cooler isn't needed because Clevos are pretty cool by itself. But it won't hurt cooling it more; I personally have the beast Cryo LX, beneath the laptop.
Thermal paste on the other hand can be necessary depending on your current idle temps; if you care to post the temps after you gotten your laptop then we can judge if you need a reapplication or not.
But then again most casual users just ignore it, and the 8690 still runs pretty well.

 

@ logion

I wouldn't worry about Furmark too much. I would see what temps you get from normal gaming before worrying. I have used both the Nvidia GTX 285M and the ATI 5870, the latter I no longer have.

However, my idle and temps under load were always higher with the 5870 and I found it was due to insufficient contact between the GPU and heatsink. With the GTX 285M, temps playing GTA IV were maxed out around 78C but the 5870 always went up to 86C+ which resulted in more fan noise and heat. Where my GTX 285M would idle at 40-45C, my 5870 (downclocked) would idle at 55C or more.

Others who have the 5870 have no such problems while some do. In my opinion, there is a lack of consistency in the quality or fit of some of the 5870 heatsinks. The problem is that even with the issue, your reseller can say the temps are still within safe ranges and that everything is fine.

 

Because everything really is fine? Those aren't bad temps at all. Could be better, but not bad.

And I'm pretty sure ambient temps affect temps on load. At 34C, my average temp during gaming is around 80C, with a max of 92C. In an airconditioned room (maybe 24C), I average 72C and max out at 87C. Maybe that's just for me though, since the difference in ambient temps is pretty drastic.

 

does somebody have service manual for w860cu? and does anybode know that whether our bios have some limitation for some wi-fi lan mini pci-e card? thx alot

edit : nevermind, found it

 

Does anyone have any experience with a Targus backpack with the 8690? I've been looking at one of these three but I wonder if they would even accommodate the 8690 well enough. I'm trying to get as small of a backpack as possible since I'll be using it for school too and don't want to have a humongous backpack while walking around campus all day.

Laptop Backpacks | TXL617 | by Targus
Laptop Backpacks | CUCT02B | by Targus
Laptop Backpacks | TBB012US | by Targus

Also, do you guys have some sort of sleeve or anything that works well with the 8690, considering it's thickness. Thanks, I'll let you guys know how the product is once I make a decision.

 

i'm using Targus, and i don't really have problem with that backpack
forget the model name though, only remember it start with an M


edit: it's TARGUS m1000

 

Those numbers are higher than they should be if you have proper contact.

 

You should check out the Pukuma Akara rucksack.

 

Mine followed me Iraq and is set up and running like a champ. I also lugged alot of other combat gear and slept in a few tents inroute. I carried it in a SwissGear IBEX 17" notebook backpack. (it was a bit snug in the 15.6" backpack due to the laptops thickness)

If it can go here, there's no reason it can't go anywhere.

 

I still can't get the black sticker off =(
The screws on the back don't budge... Sad.

 

Huh? That black sticker is very very easy to remove. Even a 3-year old child can peel that off without any problems.

 

with the new i7 x40qm/xm are out, any 1 have updated their unit with the new processor?

 

you probably missed a few screws or are using the wrong size srewdriver.

 

Good afternoon gents,

Is it possible to configure the touch sensitive program keys at the top of the keyboard? One defaulted to my mail program which is good, the other opens my browser which is good, the third (the M) I would like to set to open Winamp but I can't find where to configure it. Any ideas?

 

It's strange, I can get three of the screws out no prob, but not the others...
any ideas? I'll try another size screwdriver, we will see! I really want to get the sticker off... High ambient where I live means I get high temps 79-80 on GPU, mid to high 70s on CPU... D=

 

Try another sized screwdriver. But don't helplessly grind away. If it doesn't budge or you don't feel like the head is latching properly to the screw, no point in twisting it in frustration. You'll only end up flattening the groove and making it more impossible to open. Find that perfect fit before turning.

It also helps to put more downward pressure on the screw. I always hold the screwdriver with a rough cloth for a better grip.

 

on idle? that is high!
if during load then thats actually kinda low esp for the 5870

 

Well, I managed to get 8 out! Now just that tricky one in the hole D=
And that is under load, BFBC2 usually.
I'm mid 40s CPU, mid 50s GPU on idle.

 

I'm using a Targus A7 16inch Slip Case. It fits just nice as I don't have to apply force to pull it out and it doesn't jiggle around inside.

Amazon.com: Targus A7 Slipcase Designed to Protect Netbooks: Electronics

I'll try to post pics with the laptop inside if you want. Btw, it only fits the 8690 not its power brick. Lol!

I ordered an i7-720QM but had a week of delay due to GTX 285M availability. It actually arrived on the 25th. Supprisingly my Sager came with a i7-740QM. FOC. =)

 

I upgraded my Sager 8690 with an SSD, and find a bit of an issue. I cannot change the SATA mode from AHCI to IDE as required by the firmware update software for the drive. Am I doing something wrong, or is the option in the BIOS bogus?

Thanks!

 

Finally got the sticker off! Sweeet =)

 

I got a sager np8690 with 5870m and i hav some artifacts on Shift, Metro2033, Dirt2, Just cause 2 or in any game that i install. My SO is win7 Pro 64x and i tested with Win7 Pro x86, Vista x64 and x86, and got the same problem. What problem would be?
A use the drivers that came in the DVD User and test with catalyst 10.6....

 

first thing you should do is test your temps is they are too high.
if they are normal, you could try installing another nvidia driver

 

wll, curiously is that one time in the vistax64 i´ve got artifacts in the desktop.

 

Yay! Finally! Check your temps again; there might be a difference.

 

5-7c idle GPU and CPU, 10c on the CPU under load and about 5~7 GPU under load XD