**OFFICIAL W860CU/NP8690 Owners Lounge**

I would avoid 400 on the memory as mine does weird things at 400 memory even though it will go lower just fine.

 

SO whats the recommended clock to downclock too? Anyone got any suggestions?

 

Try 200/300. Works for me.

 

Yes, that's quite true. But even in machines like these, there's still a probability receiving an LCD with a stuck pixel; got a bit unfortunate there. I don't wanna give false hope but there were cases where stuck pixels disappeared after a couple of months of use. Why not RMA then?

I use 200/300 too; it works beautifully for me and I get the lowest temps w/o sacrificing performance for a few games (i.e. Pro Evo 2010, emulation, etc.).

 

I just got my 8690 today from powernotebooks.com and so far I am loving it! I got the i5-540 processor, 4 gigs of ram, the 5870 gpu, and the HD screen.

I have already installed the updated touch pad drivers which helped immensely! What other things do ya'll recommend doing to get to get it up to snuff? Thanks!

PS: No USB 3.0 for me

 

You can have a look at the 1st page of this thread and see if there's anything that catches your eye. I recommend the MySn Bios .

I guess most resellers still have old mobo revisions in stock. USB 3 isn't really a big factor for me, as I can always buy an express card with two usb 3 ports from Newegg .

 

Link please

 

Links to USB 3 express cards. I had my eye on this.

 

I'm using Win7 Ultimate x64 and I downloaded a Starcraft 2 Theme that changes the mouse cursor appearance. All is well after installing the theme but when I restart/shutdown the laptop, it will revert to the default mouse cursor appearance. Weird thing is that when I go to the "Mouse" settings in Control Panel, I can see that the appearance settings there are the Starcraft 2 mouse appearance settings but "until" I press OK to close the Mouse settings windows will the mouse cursor appearance change to the Starcraft 2 appearance.

Why is this happening? I have two mouse drivers in my laptop. One is a generic driver installed when I plug in my logitech wireless mouse and the other one is a Sentelic Touchpad driver for this laptop.

Please help. Thanks.

 

I don't think the mouse drivers are a factor in this case. If you have a link for me to try the theme, please send it to me so I can try it for myself. I'm guessing the theme may not be compatible for windows 7 - but that's my assumption.

 

What is the MySn bios as opposed to the Clevo Bios?

 

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Thanks for helping.

 

Anyone have any ideas for this: If unplugged, no matter what power profile I am using I can only get through about 1 minute of youtube video before the screen goes black, then comes back on with a video adapter failure message. From then on out, then yourtube video is solid green and wont come back until I reload the page. Is this a driver issue? I have 10.03.

 

*Back from lunch. I can confirm that this is a Win7 issue and not a driver issue.

I've tried the themepack and I can confirm this happened to me as well.

As for the solution, you could find another Starcraft themepack that is more compatible with Win7 but if you insist on using this themepack, here's what I did:
1.) Use 7-Zip to extract the cursors from the themepack.
2.) Copy the cursors to the Cursors directory in the Windows folder.
3.) Install the themepack (2x clicking - since you have it installed, skip this)
4.) Go to Personalise > Change mouse pointers > then select any default Windows scheme and replace the cursors with the Starcraft cursors from the Cursors directory
5.) Save the mouse pointer theme and rename it as you see fit. Click Apply and OK.
6.) Back to the Personalisation window save your current them as i.e. Starcraft II or whatever you wish. Delete the old theme.
7.) Restart, it should work now as it has worked for me.

Enjoy!

I'm assuming that you have the ATI MR5870. Which browser are you using? Try doing the same thing with a different browser (i.e. IE7/8, Chrome, etc.) Otherwise, try uninstalling and reinstalling Flash player. And, have you changed any of the power profile settings before?

If that doesn't work, try upgrading to Catalyst 10.6 - there a lot of people who use these drivers and find them stable.

 

I was using the lastest FireFox, I have the 5870, and I was also using the latest flash (I downloaded them both last night after taking the lapotop out of the box!). The problem occurred on all power settings when the laptop was unplugged.

 

I have the same problem with 10.7 drivers on all browsers.
I personally believe it is a flash problem, as I have no problems playing any of the latest games. If you turn off hardware accelerion in the flash settings, the problem will go away. But you lose GPU acceleration in flash, which is good to have.

 

The mysn bios has a few extra features enabled.

 

Thanks for this!
Maybe i can finally find some use for the express card slot.

 

Thanks for the help man! I've to try this later tonight.

 

So would this be better than using the eSATA port with an external HD?

 

No, test shows that eSATA is still faster than USB 3. However, USB 3 does power up the external hard drive, unlike the eSATA in the NP8690

 

That kinda sucks.... I would hate to have to plug my external HD into the wall whenever I wanted to use it. Do they make any eSATA external HD's that can be powered by a USB port instead of a wall plug? A drive that could do that, and could also transfer data over USA would rock so you could use it on a PC that didn't have an eSATA port.

 

^ yes most will be powered by usb port, so you will have to plug in a usb and a eSATA. Unfortunately, the eSATA on the NP8690 is not a Power over eSATA, which is a dual USB and eSATA that only need 1 connection. But i guess it is no big deal really, just less cable mess.

 

Hi everyone,

I'm new to these forums but have been reading up on the massive wealth of information here to do research on a laptop that I've been wanting for 3 years now. So, first off, thank you to everyone for posting here; these forums helped a GREAT DEAL!

After struggling between the MSI GX640, Asus G51JX-X3, and the Sager NP8690, I've decided to pull the trigger and get the Sager NP8690. So hopefully I will be joining the Sager group here soon

I've shot off a few questions to XoticPC (which is where I've decided to purchase it) and here are the specs:

Sager NP8690 (Built on Clevo W860CU) Custom Gaming Laptop Sager NP8690 (Built on Clevo W860CU) Custom Gaming Laptop
- Student Promotions! Ask us about our Cash Discounts or FREE Promotional Items & Accessory Bundles for Students - Up to 50% OFF! - Student Verification Required for Promotion
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Intel® Core™ i5-540M, 2.53-3.06GHz, (3MB L3 cache)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5870 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (Requires 64-Bit to utilize Full 4GB)
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) - Default
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- No Back Up Software
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- 11.1V Smart Li-Polymer battery pack 3800mAh, 42.18Wh
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime -24/7 DOMESTIC Based- Toll Free Telephone Tech Support (Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Warranty Repairs
- No Xotic PC Gear

I'm so stoked about getting this machine that it keeps me going at work

Any critique or suggestions? I'm only going to be playing Starcraft2 at most with this machine and basic stuff; but I want to be able to do that basic stuff at the fastest speed possible. I apologize if this should go in another forum...I'm kind of new here after all.

 

In this case I'd recomment a i7-740QM. In general the i5-540M will be just fine, but if your into RTS then a quad core is a viable option.

 

Sigman, you got the 1920x1080 screen but didn't select a Blu-Ray drive. Do you have any HD movies or a home theater at all? I find it very convenient to be able to watch BD movies on the go, or in the bed-room, or on midnight shifts at work, etc. To me it seems if you're going to get the screen you might as well get the ability to watch the movies too.

 

Reveers: Thank you for your input. I don't own any HD movies and lack a home theater. I don't see myself owning a Blu-ray anytime soon so to save on costs I decided to leave this option off.

Daniel: Thank you for your input. My main rig has an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 coupled with a GTX 260. I think that plays SC2 just fine and I was convinced to just hold back on an i7 (to save on costs...I didn't want to go over $1,500) and just go the best i5 that I can.

just another week!

 

Sigman, I just got my 8690 and I struggled with the decision like you did. I think you will really like this laptop! I have the HD screen and Blu-Ray player and I must say that Blu-Rays looks amazing on this screen. Just sayin... Also, you might want to get the Upgraded Thermal Compound, intel 6300 network card, and I think the upgrade to 500gb is only like 20 bucks more than the 320gb drive. The upgraded compound and network card are worth the money. I wish I would have shelled out 20 bucks more for the 500gb drive vice the 320.

 

FlyinAG: Thank you for your suggestions. I am going to stand my ground and stay with the "no Blu-ray" option as I don't own any HD movies nor do I plan to own any in the long foreseeable future. Plus I really want to keep the cost of this system under $1,500 if at all possible.

I was thinking about the IC Diamond upgrade; does it really bring down the temps more significantly than the stock OEM compound?

I am worried about the sound of the fans and the max temps of the 5870 as I have been reading up on this laptop very heavily. Should I be worried or are these worries unfounded?

Thank you to everyone for your help!

 

Hi, first post on this thread. I've been following along and researching and found that I'm close to pulling the trigger. I went to recustomize today and saw that the nVidia gtx is no longer an option through the Sager website. Other websites that offer this laptop still have that option, but I was wondering if anyone knows why it was removed to begin with?

 

Too bad SC2 are only optimised to use two cores, not 3 or 4.

 

Eivind: so my decision to stay with the i5 won't be regretted? I'm trying to stay within the $1,500 budget I have for this NP8690 as much as possible.

 

Nope, this is not necessarily true.

Yes, compared to the stock compound you'll get around 3-5C decrease on average temps with IC Diamond.

I always say that you don't expect a Ferrari or a Bugatti Veyron to sound like a Honda or Toyota. I'm not bothered at all - I'm actually quite glad the laptop sounds that way. You should search through this thread for more info on what other people have experienced with their temps.

My average max temps are (with AS5):
Idle
CPU: 44C
GPU: 52C

Gaming
CPU: 69C
GPU: 80C

Look for reseller Clevo/Sager websites:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...-0-faq-reseller-info-read-before-posting.html

 

The only game I know of that will struggle with a Dual Core is GTA IV. Another game that I suspect might suffer slightly is Mafia 2 since a friend of mine noted around 80% usage of his mobile i7 Quad. Since the vast majority of games are GPU dependent, aside from a few CPU intensive RTS games you will be fine. The fact is, even a 2.0 Ghz Core2Duo paired with a decent GPU will be enough for most games.

 

You're pretty much in good hands with the processor you chose if you want to primarily play SC2.

 

I agree. The only reason I got a i7-720QM is that I'm a GTAholic. The game experience is significantly better.

 

mangbhoy & LaptopNut, thank you both for your input. I'm feeling much more at ease and it only adds to my excitement when I'm finally able to order this beast!

I only see myself playing Starcraft 2 on this machine (and maybe Diablo 3 if that game ever comes out) I'm not really into games like GTA IV or Mafia 2.

I will also not go for the IC Diamond upgrade and maybe put that extra cash into upgrading the HDD to 500GB.

mangbhoy, your idle temps are actually very good and that puts me even more at ease. The fan noise may bother me a bit but I don't plan on running this machine 24/7 at all; quite the opposite. It'll probably run at most a few hours a day if that.

Thanks again!

 

i just checked XoticPC to reconfigure my NP8690; it looks like they removed the GTX video card option as well...i don't know why either...

 

most probably to deplete stocks of 5870s before the 460 or the newer 6000 ati gpu comes out.

 

Not yet, I'm sure it will come in time through patches or addons, but yeah, a quad core is no must have for gaming, that's why I said it's a viable option.

 

If you have the spare cash, I recommend getting a 500GB Seagate Momentus XT. A few hours a day? We'll see about that haha My core parking tweaks also helped me reach those average max temps on idle. My ambient temp is 23C by the way.

I second this.

 

So I have a few questions I was hoping someone could answer.

1) Has anyone else had many problems with their 5870 (in gta for example), and have they found a fix? (Should I switch to the 285m, is it much better?)
2) If I were to upgrade my cpu, do you think the i7-620m or the 740qm would be better for gaming overall?
3)Does anyone know if the gtx 480m will be released for the 8690?

Thanks for your advice.

 

1) 5870 is better Notebookcheck: Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List

2) I prefer 620m Notebookcheck: Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist

3) immpossible, because gtx 480m needs lots of power

 

1.) I've never had problems with GTA IV and EFLC and I've played it for more than 60 hours.
2.) It depends on what you play. Quads are better for GTA IV & EFLC. I for one, play GTA IV & EFLC a lot - I benefit from the stress release hence the reason why I chose the i7-720QM.
3.) As mentioned above, the gtx 480m is power hungry and it's improbable to have on the 8690.

 

1) When I used to own the 5870, my GTA IV performance was terrible compared to how it was on the GTX 285M and I had to lower every single setting but I think that could have been down to Driver issues. Overall I found gaming on the GTX 285M to be much smoother and consistent in performance which is why I am back to using that GPU.

At stock clocks I would be very surprised if you noticed any difference between the 5870 and the 285M in gaming performance at all and it is about 10% faster than the GTX 285M. The 5870's overclocking potential is what makes it really shine in my opinion. Most people talk about the 5870 as if it totally obliterates the GTX 285M's gaming performance but it does not, they are very close at stock.

2) Both the i7-620M and the 740qm will be fine for gaming because most games are GPU dependent. The Dual Core will run cooler and take up a little less battery power but it will be pretty much useless for GTA IV.

3) I think the GTX 480M will never be released for the 8690 but they might release something like the 460M for it but nothing has been announced that I have heard of.

 

Hi all,

I'm sure this has been covered somewhere in the past 400 pages (if so, I can't find it!), but I just wanted to get some feedback on the size and weight of the NP8690- I've seen the numbers, but I'm more interested in real-world experiences. I don't plan on hiking for hours everyday, but I will have to commute to work on public transport with the laptop and other documents, etc.

Would the laptop be too heavy to comfortably carry in a briefcase (I hate backpacks ) with one hand? Is it uncomfortably bulky when resting on your lap? Any kind of qualitative information like this would be much appreciated.

On a side note, is it possible/relatively easy to upgrade the video card and CPU in the NP8690? That would really seal the deal for me.

Thanks!

 

i carry my laptop around a lot and i used to use the messenger bag that came with the 8690. it would get fairly uncomfortable on the shoulder (straps) after a while so i switched to using a backpack. carrying it on a briefcase could prove annoying if your commute would be like an hour or so with lotsa walking. but for shorter jaunts you should be ok, assuming your in fairly good shape. (be aware that the power brick is quite bulky and does add to the overall weight)
i dont find it difficult to use on my lap too but i place a lapdesk so i dont end up blocking the vents.

 

i wouldnt carry mine again without any backpack! haha... seriously it gives pain on my shoulder after an hour. imagine carrying around 4KGs (including accessories) with one hand, or even one shoulder... but apart from that, NP8690 is a BEAST. hehe... get the USB 3.0 too

 

It's a lot lighter to carry around in my backpack than my XPS M1730 & power-brick ever were.