*** Official Clevo P150EM / Sager NP9150 Owner's Lounge ***

thank you for the simple straight answer.....and it reflect exactly what I need...power...not flashy..thing that can last with me

since I am new to these brands what is the difference between Clevo P150EM and Sager NP9150....or they are the same??

 

basically is the same model. Clevo is the supplier of the barebone, Sager is the builder. Clevo is also supplier for other builders (like originpc, etc..)

 

Do these come with 3 wifi aerials pre-installed by default even if you order the stock wireless card?

 

I am interested in this one too as the Killer 1103 seems backordered along with the 7970m. Is there more to the Wifi upgrade than just the card (do they add antennas in the LED panel or something or are they already there)?

 

Yea

They all come with 3 antenna, even if they are not hooked up =)

 

Tar myth...

 

Please don't tar and feather Myth until after my laptop is built.

Thanks,

TT

 

Go for the Intel 6300 then. I kinda wish there was a 6335 or 3x3:3 + BT wifi card, as I want BT but dont want to use a USB adapter. I will be going with the 6235.

 

Mine was delivered today...should be waiting for me when I get home from work in a couple hours. Can't wait!

 

Where are they located?

 

If you live that close to your reseller, why not just pick it up yourself?

Also, just thought I'd let you know that Mythlogic's 3612QM is now a lot cheaper

 

No UPS delivered it to my house. I live across the country

 

Looking more for encouragement than anything else. Clevo is an unheard of brand for me, coming from largely Dell and Asus.

One more question-is there any reason I should be getting more than 8 gigs of ram? When I'm already shelling out over $1500 the price is dirt cheap, but I have no knowledge of a program or game that benefits greatly from having more than 8 on current hardware.

 

The wires are all next to eachother under the keyboard, the actual antenna are above the LCD in the bezel.

 

Those programs are called VM's and photo/video editors and you will not be running any if you just want this for gaming. Also ram costs half as much if you buy and install it yourself.

 

Yay, my P150EM just left Seattle and is heading toward me again! It was about to have spent another 24 hours in a warehouse, I'm glad that it didn't quite do that. Seattle is maybe 2, 2.5 hours away from me, I might even be able to pick it up on my way to school tomorrow if it doesn't stop anywhere else. Funny thing, though, I'm starting to get the impression that the UPS guys are nocturnal.

 

Just thought I'd let everyone know, the machine runs really cool, the fans aren't as bad as exaggerated, and I really do like the feel of the keyboard. Only thing that's annoying is the 2 finger scroll isn't that great IMO, besides that just an excellent machine

 

can you post game benchmarks with OC? kthxbai.

 

is 680m worth the extra $295 over the 7970?

 

based on that comparison. nope. 7970 all the way. unless you need cuda.

 

alright thanks dude

another question
if i save $50 for 1333mhz ram over 1600mhz will i be bottlenecking at all?
also will i be able to overclock the ram easily??

 

Just an FYI, this is the P150EM owner's lounge, not the 680m/7970m topic.

 

and that graph (if it is real) is just nVidia propaganda. The 7970 and 680 are around the same with about a +/-5% difference depending on what you are doing.

Some benchmarks. Keep in mind this is only 1 source, and it is a synthetic benchmark.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...85-amd-7970m-vs-gtx-680m-219.html#post8585771

 

Just an FYI, the 680m and 7970m are 2 of the 3 choices for graphics cards on the P150EM. And Wisconsin politics are certainly off topic anywhere in the Sager/Clevo discussion threads.

 

He is talking about which card to get IN his P150em.... So it's pretty on topic. Your post which contributes nothing to the thread is actually off topic.

The 7970m is much more cost effective than the 680m; and most programs now use OpenCL instead of CUDA, even Photoshop CS6 that just came out.

Also downgrading to 1333mhz RAM will not even be noticeable to you. Getting 1600mhz RAM might give you 2-3 extra FPS in game; or a 1-2% boost on benchmarks; nothing noticeable to an average gamer and if you are on a budget downgrading is completely worth it. The $50 could be better spent on a WiFi card or gaming Mouse/Headset that will do more for you.

I just ordered a slip case for my beast P150EM that should arrive in 2 weeks. Also have a 256GB m4 Crucial SSD, but really need to go and add a 256GB mSata when they drop to $200 or so instead of $300-400.

Can't wait; been waiting over a month due to 7970m recall due to faulty cards -_-

 

Why do you want to add that mSata? Seems like a waste. Esp when someone posted up the 512gb M4's for $400 or so. The mSata will only run at Sata II speeds

 

I cant afford that right now that's the problem. And I Already bought the 256GB . 256 will hold everything most likely msata will be for data

 

ok ill go with 1333mhz ram thanks micah

is it worth upgrading the default wireless chip?
i will almost always be using wireless when im on the internet

thanks

 

I would also be grateful for this to be answered. I'm thinking about going with the NP9150 for college, and will be using wifi for my connection. Is it really worth it to upgrade from the stock?

Also, I know this has been mentioned before, but is it totally worth it to upgrade to an SSD? It's far more expensive and I'm just wondering what the difference was between the two. Also, I'd get way more storage with the normal Hard Drive.

Sorry if I'm pestering I'm new to the forums and would really appreciate some answers, as I think I'm going to purchase one from xoticpc

 

I think the wireless upgrade is worth it. Perhaps not to the Bigfoot card since its ~$60, but the ~$30 Intel 6300 card is great. My brother got it and he has increased range and significantly increased speeds over his old laptop. He can use wifi in the parking lot of his dorm now, something he couldn't do before.

 

For college, I'd say definitely go for the wireless upgrade. Routers may be sporadic on your campus, and you'll be able to connect to ones that are further away. The extra speed will probably help you a lot as well.

Most people say that an SSD is worth it because the speed increase is so large. I agree with this. Standard 7200rpm drives read/write at around 50-100MB/s. SSDs read/write around 500-550MB/s, with some of the more reliable drives having lower write speeds (around 400MB/s). Personally, I'd recommend getting an SSD and putting a hard drive in the optical drive (that's what the caddy is for). If you buy/install the SSD yourself, it will be a lot cheaper than if you were to get one from Sager or a reseller. If you need to use the optical drive, an external one is pretty cheap.

 

Got my NP9150 in this past week and it's been great...with one exception. The tab key is noticeably less sensitive than the other keys: I really have to whack it to be sure that I get a response. I'd like to pry off the key and have a look around underneath it, but I don't want to break anything.

I tried looking up how to mess with the keyboard in the owner's manual, but it doesn't say anything about removing keys. Google is also just turning up guides on how to replace whole keyboards. I also tried just blowing really hard to dislodge any particles that got stuck underneath, but that didn't seem to do anything. Does anyone have any advice/resources on making this tab key more responsive?

 

Which one?

For both of the above, upgrading the wifi will greatly increase range, which will be very useful in college. Plus, it's a super-cheap upgrade, so there's not really any reason not to get it unless you're on a very tight budget.

 

Yeah the 6300 is great from what i hear; I may buy one and install it myself though as thats a cheaper option.

I bought the Incase 17" laptop sleeve.

It's specs show that it's large enough for the laptop; my friend has the 15" and it could almost fit a 150em but isn't wide enough; the 17" is wide enough though

Now I can put it in my backpack and not worry abuot scratches. I'll be buying a laptop carrying backpack next month and I plan on using the slip case + backpack for super protection! haha.

 

My P150EM just arrived. Going to do an unboxing video now, but I have no idea where I'll upload it. I don't trust the privacy policy of anything affiliated with google, and youtube counts.

EDIT: well, scratch that. I just found out that my webcam's driver won't work with win7

 

Crap i bought the cheapest wifi card with my order, I'm going to be using it for college. I can buy a better one and install it myself right? where can i buy laptop wifi cards that will fit the NP9150?

 

Run it in Windows XP compatability mode?

 

Still doing research on various laptops, but I still keep coming back here as it seems to be the best deal

Two more questions-IC Diamond is a must for a card like the 7970m, correct? Also, is the upgrade to matte (without the color gamut upgrade) worth it? I've never touched the display options when buying a laptop before.

 

The Matte display is very helpful is you are going to be using it in places that have lots of lights; especially if you are going to ever use it outside. It greatly decreases glare; and it doesn't show finger prints/smudges like a glossy display. Generally it is worth it.

Also IC diamond isn't a "must" per se; but it is definitely worth the $30 or so. It can get you an extra 2-5 degrees celsius worth of cooling; if you plan on gaming it's very much worth it. Especially if you want to Overclock a bit

Also a question for people that have upgraded to the 6230 intel wifi card on their P150EM

is it better than the stock card Sager inserts?? I have the option of 6230 or 6300 but 6230 is significantly cheaper; I may end up using the $40 and getting the 6300 though so I get better WiFi. Don't want to hassle with installing it myself.

 

From what I've read, it seems like the IC Diamond is a must-have if you intend on using it for some serious gaming.

As far as the matte goes, it really depends on your personal use and preference. A matte screen will greatly help with the glare when your in bright settings, but some people say it appears 'duller.' The color gamut upgrade really isn't worth unless your into photo and video editing, where the precision matters.

Anyways just branching off here, as I had a couple more questions before purchasing. (Thanks for answering btw, you guys are awesome!)

From my last question, most people recommended going with the SSD rather than a normal Hard Drive. On xoticpc one of the choices I'd go for is the 128gb Crucial M4 Series Solid State Drive (SSD2 Serial-ATA III). I did a little research and most people said that the Crucial M4 brand is reliable and fast. Just wondering if you guys here agreed with that consensus, and that would be a good choice.

Lastly, I was just wondering about the ram. It comes standard with 8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS), but it's only 40 bucks to upgrade to 12GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (3 SODIMMS). Is it really worth it though in terms of gaming? I'll mainly just be using it for gaming and normal functions such as Word, internet browsing, etc.

Answers would be much appreciated thanks!

 

Tried it, didn't work. Anyway, I'm now copying over the contents of my external HDD and downloading a bunch of installers, etc. Mythlogic included a DVD case with my laptop, which was odd as I don't have an ODD. It's still cool though, as I'm going to get an external one as soon as I have the money. Also with the keyboard, I keep hitting \ when I try to do a space, sort of annoying. Oh well, I'll get used to it. The fans don't bug me at all, by the way, while my GPU is off and both HDD's are writing, they are much quieter than my bro's HP probook at idle. I'm not sure how much I'll be using the keyboard though, the rim of the laptop is ever so slightly sharp and uncomfortable.

 

For SSD's buy one online; you can get a 256GB Crucial M4 for $190-210 right now. It's a great deal compared to recent prices; the prices will only drop though; now the 512GB is only $400. All of these prices will probably drop another 25% in the next 4 months as SSD price wars have begun.

Getting 12GB RAM won't help much; unless you do insane amounts of multi tasking or you run Virtual Machines. I run about 15 tabs in Google Chrome, BF3, Itunes, Anti Virus, Skype, Photoshop CS3 all at once and the MOST it uses is about 6GB. So I'd say 8GB is usually perfectly fine unless you are planning on running VM's or do intense 3d / graphic design work with large files.

 

Does anyone have the 675M?

For me it "only" scores 5.2 in Graphics and 7.0 in Games Graphics in windows experience index.

It is normal?

In the 675M notebookcheck page, it scores 7.3 in both.

 

Get DUAL radio 802.11n. The 5.8 GHz spectrum has oodles of channels where ther are only 3 non-overlapping channels for 801.11b/g on 2.4 GHz, and only ONE for 802.11n. ALSO, microwaves are actually the frequency of channel 9 on 2.4 GHz. To really get any kind of performance, you need to run "n" on 5.8. BUT, many aps are only 2.4. So, get the dual band card.

More antennas/radios means not only faster theoretical speed, but better decryption of marginal signals. All in all, 3x3 and dual band is the way to go. Now, as for whether the Killer is worth it or not:
Killer Wireless-N 1103 Review: Can Qualcomm Take On Centrino? : Killer Wireless: Is It Able To Usurp Intel's Centrino?

ah, yes it is. AND they (supposedly) have great software to tweak what programs get priority, etc. ESPECIALLY in college, you are a fool not to splurge on the wifi. The NETWORK IS THE COMPUTER.

In college, there will be an AP and client density that is going to DESTROY performance on almost all available bands. At least with 5.8GHz, fewer clients will use it and it has more channels to boot. Same goes for apartments and urban areas. The more people use the same frequencies, the worse the performance (think of a ton of radio stations all broadcasting on a few channels. None get clear signal).

Oh, and make sure you get a good ap/router. THEY ARE NOT ALL THE SAME.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-charts/view

GREAT site for personal network info.

 

i think it uses the onboard graphics for the 5.2 score
but i may be wrong

 

is there a dual band option on the 9150???
if its the bigfoot network card i am not willing to spend that much ill stick with 6300

 

You might be right about that...

This happens to anyone else who has the 675M?

 

Who cares what WEI says? Hell, it says 7.3 for me and I have the 7970M but I don't care. WEI is terrible and never should've come into existence.

 

The highest you can get is 7.9 I believe.

 

It is because when WEI runs if the iGP is active thats the part its scoring, as birdsonbat mentioned. I guess you could start up a game so the 675M switches on then have WEI rerun and you'll see a higher score.