*** Official Clevo W230ST/Sager NP7330 Owner's Lounge ***

Both mSATA slots are fully functional on this model right?

 

I haven't been able to read through the entire thread, but how's the noise and temperature levels on this model? Looking for a 13.3 inch laptop that can handle some gaming (will be used as a desktop replacement in weekends, portable laptop for university on weekdays) but I'd love to have a somewhat silent and cool laptop.

 

Yes.

RAID Clevo W230ST Sager NP7330 - YouTube

Noise, quiet as long as you put in quiet mode. Fan profiles need some work, the biggest issue is the fan bursting, not ramping up, but that is being addressed with a new BIOS apparently.

Temperatures, see here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...s-sager-np7330-clevo-w230st-review.html#temps

 

I will try this soon. I believe I can recover my bios if I brick my machine? lol. Thank you!

 

Erratic fan issue is pretty much gone in my case. No idea what happened but as I used the machine, it smoothed itself out.

 

Flashing tools usually have an ability to backup the original bios, I know it wont help now but with any flashing always do a backup first in future

 

Alright fellas i'm having a problem. First day i got this laptop, the normal fan bursting was happening. doesn't bother me. But after installing some drivers somewhat unsuccessfully, the fan is not working at all unless I turn it on manually using Fn+1. Anyone know what I've done? Cheers

 

I have a very weird problem. I've just tried to connect my w230st to a wired LAN connection for the first time, and it seems that it's not detecting the realtek LAN card or the ethernet cable. Can someone tell me what I should be looking for in device manager and, ideally, what the actual LAN card is meant to look like in the machine itself (I thought it was integrated on the chipset?!). If it is in fact integrated, what on earth could be causing it to not appear in device manager (and yes, I've tried installing the LAN drivers again).

EDIT: That was even more odd. I uninstallled the drivers and rebooted, then my cable was recognised, then I reinstalled the LAN drivers. Seems to have resolved itself. Thanks!

Petrov.

 

maybe they forgot to put it in, the place I bought it from forgot to ship with my secondary HDD! Still have not heard back from them

 

In addition, whenever I run CPU stress tests, the temps hit 90C+. That can't be normal...

 

Hi Dranakin

Like you and HT, I also have a 4800. My temps aren't as good as HT's. When I first got it and ran CPU/GPU stress tests at the same time, I would hit high 90s. I repasted the thermal paste, which helped a lot. I undervolt stably to -70mQ - my CPU can't handle -100 and remain stable. Now when I game I generally max out at high 80s or low 90s, depending on the game.

But, if I were you, I would certainly repaste as my first port of call.

Petrov.

 

Hitting 90c+ is normal. That won't bother me.

 

If you use the laptop with the GPU active at all it becomes very loud. If you use it to just surf and so small tasks in "quiet" mode then yeah it more/less stays pretty silent. But I wouldn't really call this a cool or silent laptop because it is far from. This is actually the hottest and loudest laptop I've ever seen.

 

My understanding is if you want a "gaming" laptop the words "cool and silent" don't really belong in the same sentence. I don't have any experience to back that up but from what I've been reading you can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

Cool and silent can be done but you will be seeing 17inch laptops with dual fan setup.

W230ST is mere 13inch and has one fan and so we sacrifice both cool and silent parts. One thing I notice from the forum is that people overreact to the temp. Hitting 90c+ is fine. All the parts are designed to withstand such temp for prolonged usage.

 

You all also forget that HT limited the framerate of his games on the W230ST so as to not get the GPU to overwork and cause the fan to tick on highest setting. If you cap it at 58FPS, it stays relatively normal or quiet. 45FPS, much more so. This should also reduce temperatures.

Seeing as we're all running NVidia, just go download NVidia Inspector and set your Global Framerate settings to something you're comfortable with.

 

Well, I want a relatively cool and silent laptop while taking notes/browsing the web etc while in class, I don't mind some noise or heat (as long as it's not "lethal" for the laptop) while gaming. This seems like the only 14" or 13.3" that actually features a decent GPU, and in the weekends I want to be able to hook my laptop up with a monitor, keyboard and mouse and have some processing and gaming power in full HD.

There seems to be some inconsistencies regarding the weight of the laptop; I've read both 2.1kg and 2.4kg. Which one is correct?

 

Right...if you pick this laptop and are in class taking notes, you will have to be aware of what is running on the laptop, what power setting it is in, and you may even need to clock it differently in order to prevent the fan from bursting. I can initiate the fan to burst on by opening up and scrolling through a 30+ page PDF document. It is an obnoxious noise to hear especially when there are other students surrounding you and it is relatively silent except for your laptop. A "normal" laptop doesn't have this problem as the fan speeds stay pretty consistent and gradually rise to a certain RPM, not burst.

 

Really Fuze they have not responded to you regarding the hdd issue, thats pathetic, keep trying mate i am sure they will have it settled for you soon

 

Okay, I ended up getting one of these beasts from Affordable Laptops.

These are my specs: i7-4900MQ, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, no mSATA and no OS.

I mostly do software development, screencasting (video rendering involved) and some gaming now and then. I decided to go with the fastest CPU because I want fast rendering speeds when I render my clips in Camtasia. I normally micro-render which means I render 2-10 minute clips as I endit the videos. I bought a MacBook Air last week and it took 15 minutes to render a 2 minute clip and that is just not acceptable as it took just less than a minute on my old i7-970.

Looking forward to play around with it and see what it goes for. Hoepfully the Australian weather wont cause it to overheat..

 

Considering the GPU wont be loaded during that I doubt it.

 

In order not to make the fan burst, you have to be careful what to load in background/tray. Some background programs will make dGPU kick in. Just make sure to have Nvidia optimus indicator in tray and progressively install what you need and see how it goes.

 

Worth checking for all optimus machines to make sure you get the proper battery life.

 

I actually returned the W230ST mostly because of fan noise. It's annoying in the bedroom and it's much too inconsistent for a classroom. I understand why it should be loud when gaming, but I couldn't accept it during idle/light loads. The fan burst only lasts for a second or two, but its LOUD and is definitely disruptive to a class. You can curb that noise by going into "Quiet Mode" via Clevo Control Center and that eliminates virtually all the fan bursts (I still experienced one or two in this mode), but then you sacrifice performance since this is basically "Power Saving" mode. Even disregarding the fan burst issue, it still runs just a little too loud at these light loads for me, but that's probably because I'm coming from the dead-silent W110ER. If they fixed the bursting, I might consider this computer again.

 

While hitting 90°C+ is ok officially, because Intel has set a TCC of 100°C, it is not good for your CPU. Additionally, once you get higher temps that are closer to TCC, you will also get throttling, which means a decreased max performance level.

I can recommend playing with the voltages and using AIDA64 Benchmark and/or just CPU ZLib to test stability (test 1/2/4 cores). I also changed the multipliers, since I mostly do gaming/surfing/office with this laptop. So I checked how I use the cores and for gaming, which requires high performance, I really only use 2 cores. Therefore I left the multipliers for 1 and 2 cores at default, but dropped the ones for 3 and 4, since in those scenarios of full usage, I often don't need them to run at max speed.

 

I only limited the framerate with BF3 and it is not the temps reported in the review.

I don't personally feel comfortable with 90C+ temps, but it's acceptable to a point. I usually do what I can to help keep it 85C or less. Thankfully with undervolting and even dropping CPU speed on demand with Intel XTU it's possible most of the time. And running CPU at 3GHz with 4 cores is more than sufficient for gaming.

 

Hitting 90c+ won't affect cpu's life span. If it did, all cpus used in servers won't last as long as they do currently. Those cpus stay in near 100c in their whole lifespan and still last 10+ years or until they are dropped for refresh. It's a common misconception that high temp will reduce cpu's lifespan.
It may start throttling but that is based on the system's overall responsiveness of heat spread. If the system determines that the temp remains stable in 90c, it should not throttle. If the system determines that the temp will go over the T-junction, it should start to throttle.
Which is no fault of the cpu or heat themselves. Blame internal cooling design.

The spec of this laptop is also used for 17inch DTR laptops. The heat output of this laptop is potentially 120 TDP or so. It is unrealistic to expect cool temp with one fan to handle that much heat while being quiet and all.

Meanwhile, there is one way to make this laptop cool & quiet. Don't install Nvidia drivers.

 

All the fan talk and noise comments is getting me concerned about my order... it should come this week and then I'll see.

 

I got an answer regarding their dead-pixel warranty: " it lasts 6 months and covers all dead/stuck pixel issues"...

Anyone knows what are the specifics regarding PCSpecialists (and other EU/UK stores) dead-pixel warranties ?

 

They should describe them on their websites.

 

same here, i just ordered mine and am hoping for the best. Wondering if there is any kind of mod i can do it keep it cooler. Are there such things as extra tiny fans that i could fit inside the computer for some additional airflow?

 

Being optimistic is nice, but as you noticed, not all the stores do that.

 

I think someone else tried to put little heatsinks on the copper apparatus to help out with heat but I doubt that will help prevent the fan from kicking in.

It mainly depends on how much you can tolerate and how much you enjoy tweaking with your laptop. You'll notice it pretty quickly though. The second you either install your OS or start installing patches, your fan will kick into full blast in short bursts. You'll be enjoying your new laptop but the comment of "that's a bit odd" might come up in your head. As it happens more and more you may think "humm that is annoying" or "oh, it's a gaming machine I can deal with that". But then if you think about bringing it into work or are a student and think of bringing it into class then you may think "this could be awkward or obnoxious". When is the last time you were in class and someone turned on a laptop that sounded like what "10% audio" from a hairdryer would sound like? I'd wager to say never, not even super old school laptops with horrible heating/cooling.

In my experience normal laptops are fairly silent unless put under stress (heat). When this occurs the fan starts to "gradually" increase RPMs maybe to 10-20% of max depending on what is going on (Installing a program/patch or an AV scan). But the actual sound coming out of the laptop is still a humm and then it gradually drops back down to a pretty quiet RPM. Most of the time it only speeds up to 80-100% is if the CPU/GPU is working its tail off like rendering a movie or playing a game but again that is expected. With any of my past laptops I never had to worry about CPU temperature or even notice the fan because they all behaved the same; not true for this W230ST.

On my build of this laptop, if I do anything that causes the CPU temp to go to around 70-75 degrees, the fan will burst from silent to 80%. This will seem like very unusual activity to most the first time you hear it. The burst only lasts for a few seconds but it can happen multiple times in a row if the temperatures causes it to. So we're talking a 3 sec burst then 4 seconds of silence then another 3 sec burst. The last time I heard this was when I was installing a bunch of Windows Updates. This normally doesn't happen when you're just using the laptop, but there will be one-off bursts at random times. So yeah that is the best description of the difference. The logic seems to want the fan to burst to reduce heat instead of gradually increasing or decreasing fan RPM. I would agree with most that only a BIOS update of some sort could fix this problem permanently since software can only do things like limit CPU voltage/usage or put the fan in passive mode where it rarely activates at all.

When I pondered returning the laptop I went through the same hoops that pointed me towards buying it: there is nothing else close to it on the market.

13"
Haswell
Backlit KB
Nvidia 765M
IPS High Res Screen
Highly customizable drive config (raid, sata, msata)

Nothing can be perfect I suppose. I made a video about the keyboard and explained the thing with the fan but I think I'll try to demonstrate what the fan does in another vid when I find time.

 

Yes, there are only few hat come to close to W230ST. I had three choices. W230ST, Lenovo Y410p and MSI GE40.

No laptop is perfect. You have to accept compromises. Sticking a full voltage quadcore and 765m into 13inch shell is going to get loud when stressed. There is no way around it.

 

Ditto. I canceled my order for the T410p since the W230ST was only $100 after taxes and all. It would've come with a slower vid card and lower resolution on a 14". I looked a the GE40 as well and I think the stats were very similar to that of the T410p but was $100 more expensive than the W230ST. Don't think I would've been fully satisfied with either of those alternatives.

 

so i just got my w230st today and installed windows 7 on it. everything was well until i installed chipset drivers, now the screen flashes for funziez, does anybody else have this problem?

 

Ha, yes I experienced the exact same thing. The screen blanks out then comes back and repeats right? Wipe it again and don't install any Chipset drivers.

What I did was install SP1 (Assuming you don't have it in the ISO) then install NIC or Wifi drivers then install the Intel Video 4600 drivers (Intel's site) then install the lastest Beta drivers for the GPU (Nvidia's site---note that it has to be the beta drivers as the windows certified ones for 765 won't work) I think after that I Ran Windows Update like crazy until there was nothing left then continued on with what was needed in terms of drivers.

 

IDK if anyone has tried this but when I installed Windows 8.1 RTM on this laptop the Geforce 765m disappeared off device manager and I could never get it back, the intel HD 4600 was only available and drivers couldnt install because they said that there was no compatible hardware available. I have the 1.05 bios installed off Perma's site on my laptop. After all this I went back to 8 but I worry about 8.1 coming out and being compatible because of this.

Before the card disappeared though it was using some driver that Microsoft provided, I only noticed the card disappearing after trying to update them to nvidia drivers. (latest Beta)

 

thx for the reply reinstalling atm, those damn chipset drivers. so the lastest beta drivers from nvidia will work with 765m?

 

Can you just set the fan to a continuous level? It would seem that a continuous medium hum would be less annoying the full on bursts.

 

I had unstable FPS on Final Fantasy XIV on highest settings ranging from 33-68 FPS and would randomly dip in performance. After enforcing 45FPS limit, it consistently goes 42-45 in 90% of the game. This is also without the overclock.

Temperatures dropped from 79C to 73C during the course of the 4 hours I've played.

 

You can find some info on the PC Specialist purchasable Dead Pixel Guarantee here:
https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/matrix/250/110/3/0/

It would seem to say that PC Specialist will replace the screen if there is a single dead or bright pixel discovered within the warranty period.

I purchased the 1 year Dead Pixel Warranty from PC Specialist for £19 with my order.

 

The only way to have a stable FPS in FFXIV is not to run on max settings. Try enabling only your physics and shadows and disabling everyone else. Turn off anti-aliasing. Set most of the settings to normal.

 

Is there any way to disable Intel Graphics and just use Nvidia?

 

You can set the Nvidia control panel to prefer the dGPU but no way to completely shut it off. You can find those options under "Manage 3D settings"

 

This is true and I would accept it if it was loud only under stress, but the problem is that this computer makes a lot of noise even when not stressed.

 

this laptop is pretty quiet with no stress. but my ambient temp is 22C

 

Regarding the heat issues: it's not that I'm worried about the temperatures itself, just that I notice my numbers are 10C higher than HTWingNut's. I'll give repasting a shot even though I just got it and it was supposed to have an IC Diamond compound.

Any recommendations? This thread from last April ( http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274824-29-thermal-compound-roundup-2011) lists some, but if anyone wants to chime in, that'd be great. Otherwise, I'll likely go with the Arctic MX-4.


Also, I know ECKS had posted and recommended the Brenthaven ProStyle Sleeve, but didn't know if anyone else had experiences with any other sleeves with this laptop? Trying to look at my options between committing to one.

 

Did some research about my stuck pixel, and it seems my shop (multicom.no) doesn't have a pixel warranty, they operate with the producers guarantee. And it seems Chi Mei allows up to 3 dead/stuck pixels on a screen in their production line.

source

 

I want stability with all my settings without sacrificing much of the smoothness. 45-60FPS is very similar for my eyes, so it fits where it is currently at.