*** Official Clevo W230SS/Sager NP7338 Owner's Lounge ***

Nah! It shipped from Sager's facility on the 29th of April. That being said, I got the machine on the the 8th of May. Not sure if I can go for an RMA.

 

Hi guys,

Is there a guide on replacing the CPU on this thing? Looking to get the basic CPU option (pentium processor) and upgrading the CPU myself to a i7 4700mq

thanks

 

Do you have any howto for the installation?

 

Super simple. Here's the repaste of the W230ST, basically the same thing:

<iframe width='640' height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CFztLNvjchA" frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>

Just have to turn the little screw to remove the CPU and drop in the new one.

 

It's good how well sager/clevo have resisted the temptation to go BGA.

 

I'm looking for a second power adapter to leave at home instead of always having to unpack the power brick I got with the laptop. I'm looking at a Thermaltake 120W power adapter with 19V output, would this work with the w230ss? Link to the adapter below:

Canada Computers | Adapter & Chargers | Thermaltake ToughPower 120W Notebook Power Adapter ADP120W0006

 

What is this "unknown device" in the device manager?

 

I've noticed that the iGPU seems to be locked to 400MHz when on battery which is a bit rubbish as my idea was to use the iGPU for silent/mobile gaming and the dGPU when it's needed at home. Does anyone know a way to get around this and would it be possible to do within the Prima BIOS if it isn't currently possible? (setting the GPU to "Max Performance" in the settings for the Intel GPU program doesn't seem to make any difference).

 

The NP7338 adapter is described as: "1 Removable 6 cell smart Lithium-Ion battery pack 62.16Wh Full Range AC-in 100~240V, 50~60Hz, 120W AC Adapter, DC output 19.5V, 6.15A"

So, on paper, it looks like the Thermaltake universal adapter is within the specs and would be compatible. Here's another option since the Thermaltake is out-of-stock in many of the stores: Canada Computers | Adapter & Chargers | Cooler Master Notebook NA120 Universal Laptop Adapter 120W (RP120-S19AJ1-US) Specs look fine too.

 

Have you tried changing intel graphics settings in the "Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options\Edit Plan Settings"? If you change it from Maximum powersaver to Maximum performance it might help.

 

That would definitely be the "leave at home" adaptor. it weighs in at almost 1/2 what the notebook does.

There looks to be a slimline style adaptor, don't recognise the name, but it might be more in line with the size of adaptor that comes with the computer.

Canada Computers | Adapter & Chargers | iCan 120 Watt Universal Notebook Power Adapter

 

My dad is hesitant about purchasing through XoticPC, nevertheless going for the cash discount (which doesn't allow a credit card usage).

His concern about that cash discount is that by using it, the credit card company can't intervene on his behalf if the transaction goes wrong (such as not receiving the laptop), and there isn't as much safety with using bank wire transfer or check.

 

Use the Mod to disable "EIST", then iGPU will have full Turbo on battery IRC.

 

Spot on - the power brick can negate much of the laptop's light-and-portable factor if it's big and bulky.

There used to be a few options for very slim notebook adapters, but they seem to be disappearing. For my W110ER I bought this Kensington 90W adapter. It's unbelievably tiny and lightweight, and also gives 10W extra for USB device charging.

I haven't been able to find anything similar in a 120W variant. One candidate was the Cooler Master USNA 120, but I can't seem to find it in any stores, even their own online store (at least in the US).

I'd be very interested if anybody knows of comparable options.

 

I recall contacting Cooler Master about the USNA 120 last year. They told me they only sell that in Europe and suggested buying the 90W variant.

 

Thanks - that's unfortunate, but good to know. Guess I wrongly assumed that "USNA" stood for "United States / North America" (referring to the type of plug).

 

Ah it was just SNA (slim something adapter), the u is for ultra.

 

I have used a 90 watt adapter with this laptop and doing everything I usually do with a laptop it works just fine. It will still charge the battery and run everything just fine. I have not tried while maxing the little laptop out with the 860m running full tilt and heavy CPU loading. I have only used the 90w one as my extra to have in my laptop bag. I use a 120 watt power adapter while at home which is the only time I play games on it.

 

90W is fine unless you run something that wants to start properly pushing the system, then you would need more (just a note, the SNA-120 is a 110W adapter with an always spare 10W for the USB charging points).

 

If you right-click and choose "Settings", then go to "Information" and then choose in the drop-down menu "Machine-ID" and copy the first string here we might be able to help you out.
You can always try and google it first and see if you get any more info of what the device might be (I run a Swedish OS so the exact names might differ from an English OS but you should get the gist).

 

Does a 500gb msata consume more power than a 250gb? Also is the samsung evo msata's a fairly power efficient ssd?

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

 

Thank you! It was an Insyde Airplane Mode HID Mini-Driver. Can be downloaded from here CLEVO Driver Download

 

Yep. I'm OK with a slightly thicker laptop if it means user upgradability. Just if they didn't optimize for space if they went BGA then I'd be a little irritated.

Check with your reseller, you may be able to get one for a decent price, and best compatibility. But if you must, get one with matching voltage (19.5V) and 5.5mm OD / 2.5mm ID barrel.

Disable Hotkey/Clevo Control Center at bootup, and your iGPU should run at full speed on battery.

 

Wait, is the dGPU upgradable?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989

 

Nope........

 

Soldered into the board, you only find MXM on 15.6" and above no matter the brand.

 

Depends how much you hate the battery, they limit it so the battery is not discharged too rapidly and be damaged.

 

I was referring to the iGPU. Does what you say still apply?

 

Eh? The Intel GPU, not the Nvidia GPU. The Intel GPU running at normal speed shouldn't be too bad.

Tried this but no change, are you sure? Hell, it isn't even installed anymore, so that shouldn't be the reason.

 

That's what I ment.

 

hi all, just got my clevo w230ss, quite a unique laptop. may I know what software do you use to monitor the temperature of your laptop?

 

I use Core Temp for a nice small CPU core temp and frequency monitor. For the nvidia 860m chip I use either GPU-z or nvidiaInspector. Usually nvidiaIspector since that is the program I use to overclock the video card. There's more programs out there but those are the ones I like personally.

 

did you change your bios to prema mod bios?

 

will setting the fan speed at maximum for a long period cause damages to the laptop?

 

It would be great if you could post a video or walk-through for installing OSX on this beast.

Many thanks

 

Will this also disable SpeedStep completely though, for the CPU and GPU? All I want to do is stop the GPU from being locked to 400MHz when on battery. If it just fixes that then great.

 

I am ordering this model, what slot shulde my M sata SSD be at in terms of temperatures? Slot 1 or Slot 2? (xoticpc)

 

HWMonitor. You will just have to "prime" the 860m before you start HWMonitor. Start up an app like 3DMark and then start HWMonitor, otherwise 860m temps won't show. Then you can close 3DMark.

Or you can use GPU-z for GPU temps and there's other options as well like HWInfo64. But I find HWMonitor to be simple and effective and shows all temps.

 

Core temp hangs up Windows 8.1 for some reason. I use HW monitor instead.

 

"prime" means selecting the 860m to be the main gpu?

 

I believe that "prime" means that you need to "initiate" the GPU (to make the computer run with the Nvidia GPU instead of the Intel GPU); run a game, run a benchmark program (as HTWingNut suggested) or basically run anything that makes the GTX860M "kick in" so the computer switches from the Intel GPU to the Nvidia GPU.

Edit: The easiest way I found out was to start "Nvidia Control Panel" (to see that spinning Nvidia logo where you can edit 3D-settings with a slider between "Performance" and "Quality"), that makes the GPU "kick in" and makes HWMon "identify" the GTX860M.

 

I've decided on ordering the P304 with the following specs:

i7 4710
8 GB Crucial Ballistix Sport, adding 8 GB more when I get it
No drives, I'll add a 120 GB or 250 GB Samsung Evo (how much faster are the larger drives really?) and a 1 TB HDD for storage

However I can't figure out what Wi-Fi adapter to go for out of the following:

Centrino N-135 - standard
Centrino N-6235 - I know nothing about this one
Intel AC-7260 - very fast with AC which I don't have at the moment but I will upgrade my router soon, however it's supposed to be unreliable?
Killer N-1202 - accused of being hyped up and overpriced, I have not heard of any stability problems

Price difference is negligible, stability and range are my prime concerns. I could of course just go with the N-135 and upgrade if it doesn't perform...

Edit: Nevermind, I went with the 7260 and ordered a 500 GB Evo instead.

 

7260 is OK. I sit behind 2 walls from a router (1 concrete and 1 wooden) and get around 22-25ms latency on speedtest.net
It spikes sometimes when I play BF3, but it might as well be because of the router itself or the server I am playing on.

 

Amazon.com: HP 120W, 19.5V, 6.15A 644699-003 Slim AC Adapter For Select HP Notebook Models: Computers & Accessories

There may be others, but that is the first one I found. I can't say about the barrel-plug, but other than Dell, I have been able to use most any 19.5v supply on various laptops. I'm using a generic 160W (purchased for my Gateway) and a Toshiba supply in various locations right now for my W110ER. I recall using an HP supply also.

 

Great, thanks! My current router is a POS so I don't expect anything really until that ***** is dead and gone

 

I'm also using the 7260, but on the W110ER using Windows 7. Works great for me, but I seem to recall issues with Windows 8 (could be resolved by now).

For an inexpensive but reliable AC router, check out the Edimax BR6478AC. It's getting good reviews and it has the same speed max as the 7260. I picked one up and have no regrets.

 

Hello, I am pretty much convinced into buying this little powerhouse of a laptop. I just wanted to ask some stuff after reading the whole 110 pages of the thread. I'll probably buy it from Shenker since I am in Greece. They have an option for an i7-4910MQ CPU. Anyone have this? Since it has the same TDP as the 4810MQ most of you have I guess I'll be having the same temps under load and better performance using this. I've seen someone buying this to replace an older 2007 polycarbonate macbook, how does it compare regarding the size, thickness, weight? (I'm replacing a BlackBook myself that's why I am asking). Since Linux has been my OS for a couple of years now, I wanted to know if everything gets picked up (with what distro) and what's the battery life on it. I saw most of you saying about ~5:30 doing light work. Can I extend it by powering off the dGPU entirely? To all linux users out there what's the average wattage in powertop? Will mostly use it for web design and C++ development, I guess I won't be hearing the fans at all.

 

Notebookcheck reported that when using the i7-4810mq W230ss, it can not reach its max turbo due to the cooling assembly not being able to keep both the GPU and CPU cooled when running with Prime95 and Furmark at the same time.

 

Which is not really something you'd really expect a laptop to be able to do. Running both of those at the same time is a bit overkill and not something you'd really ever run into during usage really.

 

I am having disconnects multiple times per hour with my Bluetooth-devices and this card. Tried the latest drivers but even though Intels automatic updater suggests I should download the latest, then I download them the setup only wants to repair a current installation which makes me believe that I already have the latest drivers installed. No problems with WiFi only with Bluetooth, will try to switch to another 7260 AC and see if my card is faulty. Running Windows Pro 8.1 x64.