**Official Sager NP5160 / Clevo W150HNQ Owners' Lounge**

Hey guys, I recently updated the GeForce GT 540M graphics card to the latest version (285.62) and I've run into a problem. I can no longer change the preferred graphics card processor for programs in the control panel. The box is grayed out. Here is what I mean: Have any of you run into this same problem when updating drivers and is there any way to fix this?

 

Anyone else playing Battlefield 3 on their laptop? The 540M runs it surprisingly well at 720P. My name is WhlskeyD (L not I) if anyone wants to play.

 

Instead of wasting many hours searching for some info about this notebook I think some of you could solve my questions in seconds.
How many mini pci-e slots it has?
Does it support sata III?
Does it have built in bluetooth or can it be upgraded (without wifi combos)?

 

1) There are technically two. One is the 3G slot and one is the wireless card slot
2) Yep
3) Nope. It's only supported via WiFi combo card or an external USB dongle.

 

Tech question. My battery is at SAGER as there is a problem with it. I therefore am using the laptop with just the power cord. Is that recommended, other than accidental unplugging of course. And can this be whats causing a very very long login time after booting up. This problem occurred after the batter was sent in. I did a boot log, see attached. I went through the whole gambit of safe mode, which boots and logs in fine. I then turned off all programs and non microsoft services. Nothing changes, as it takes 8 to 15 minutes to login after typing password. I did Nortons Symantec Endpoint scan, no virus. I did Malwarebytes, no issues. I did disk cleanup and defrag. No change.

 

Sounds like either your heatsink isn't attached properly and you are thermally throttling OR you could have a junk memory issue. I would take out some memory if you can and see if it magically gets faster.

 

Any testing that can be done? I took the back case off, and everything looks good. The bootlog showed battery drivers not loading, over and over.
Update: Did some event viewer testing to see what is going on. There were a few degragations. But one, "Desktop Window Manager is experiencing heavy resource contention" had no time that it was slowing down, but definitely an issue. Come to find out it is related to VGA drivers, which event viewer showed Nvidia settings update was a 13 second delay. Adobe updater was also 12 sec delay/degragation. Now the nvidia driver has, in the past 4 days, lost its drivers, and I had to use the disk to reload them. Still really slow. And according to HW monitor the cpu isnt running any hotter than 46 Celsius.
So, I will email my compnay I purchased from with an update, and see where this goes.
on a side note, the Intel Wifi adapter has also been dropping its drivers, just for the adapter, not actual WiFi services. Mine is the 6300 ultra n.

 

Did anyone try out and experience significant changes with the new BIOS/EC update? The latest version I received was in yesterday's mail by the Sager Tech Support, with a file called 5160bv13.iso. I'm still thinking whether I should update the BIOS, do you all think it's worth it?

 

Me too.

Still running the Bios that came on it.

I'm not following the updates, what have changed up to this last Bios release?

 

can anyone please help me get the bios update?

 

Your reseller should be able to get you the updated BIOS. The manufacturers don't generally post those directly on their site, so if you contact your reseller they can provide that for you.

 

How do you get the BIOS updates from Sager? I haven't seen a web page where they can be downloaded from. Do you have to request them each time or can you subscribe to BIOS updates?

 

Does xoticpc.com post the sager bios updates on their website? What's the latest bios version # and date for the Sager NP5165 that xoticpc has?

 

To get a copy of the most current BIOS, send an email to [email protected] with your serial number on the bottom of your laptop. We don't put them on the website just as a precaution because flashing your BIOS incorrectly could brick the machine.

 

Will someone please post a change log for the bios updates?

 

yes. changelog please. i might need to do an update. i have minor issues.

 

Am I correct to assume that all newly ordered np51xx models are shipping with the latest BIOS?

 

I ordered my NP5160 not long ago from XoticPC, and will get it soon. From what I've read, I hope it will work well.

 

whats everyones thought on the webcam?
is it the cam, the driver, the housing that make it so dark?
tried a couple alternate drivers that i thought would work with bison 5986 0308 without luck.
thinking about cracking her open i have a handful of webcams from dead laptops over the years that i could possibly swap.

besides the webcam, numpad, & speakers i'm happy with my clevo. i don't game but need the resolution at an affordable price

 

well opened the bezel and its not the bezel causing any extra shade.
rumaged through my bag of parts only found 1 cam and it was 6pin as opposed to the 5pin in the w150.
camera is marked
s-bjaaklh
6-88-x510c-4900
front bn28u5xk1 back says 1928u5xk1
fw604
112740b L
cam board has 5pin connector and is 2 3/8 in length. going to hunt for something on ebay and hope for the best


edit:
tried a Camellia_2 CN0314-SN30-OV03-1 VA-R02.03.02 from i believe an Acer. 5pin. board has green LED, lights up when powered and stays lit in bios but then turns off and not detected by windows. removed hotkey software just in case of conflict same result

Also tried shaving plastic around lens for less tunnel effect... no improvement

 

The webcam on this model just isn't spectacular. It's recommended if you need/use one on a regular basis that you look for an external USB model.

 

happy to report 1000% improvement with webcam from lenovo ipeapad y510/530. you can find them on ebay cheap.

for those who tinker and fear not voiding warranty easy install with some modification. lenovo webcam has same mounting holes and size, but is much thicker in camera area. will require shaving of LCD shell to close bezel.

software wise i tried a couple different things for best results. for best results leave clevo webcam software installed. lenovo cam will be auto detected(i'm using win7 64bit) but video will be upsidedown with no option to flip. download and save lenovo y510 vista 32bit webcam software packaged named IN1CAM22WW3.exe. once download complete using winrar or 7zip use extract option. goto Lenovo Easy Camera(Bison) folder and run setup and reboot once prompted.

After reboot lenovo cam will be in correct position. cam has builtin effect options. camera will continue to work with hotkey software and webcam enable/disabe button

 

Good to know!

 

Which driver do I need to install in order to get the numpad to work?

 

There is none, it should just work by default if the keyboard is working. You may need to use FN + Num Lock to get it to do the numbers versus the arrows though. (FN + Numpad Del)

 

Hi All,

Last year I purchased the W150HNQ but now I find myself in need of firewire (giving up on usb soundcards - firewire has always been good).

I've noticed there is a free Mini PCI-E slot - has anyone had any luck using it for something like a mini pci-e firewire card? Will it work or is the slot only intended for a 3g card?

I have attempted to test the slot by moving the wifi card from it's original slot to there but the system does not seem to see that card at all when I do. It's possible that I just did not install it correctly because the second slot is elevated and to screw something in there would require an elevated screw mount + long screw.

Thanks for you help.

 

That slot is disabled so I doubt you will be able to get anything to work in it.

 

Any idea on how exactly it is disabled?

Anyone have any idea if something like this tool could help?

Cheers

 

No, that tool is all about an external GPU and has nothing to do with the mini-PCI slot.

I don't believe there is any way to enable that slot.

 

Looking to pick up the base model of the np5160... how's the 1600x900? I don't care about the 1920x1080 resolution but is the screen quality a huge drop off going to the 1600x900 model?

 

My wife has that model and she likes it (she plays SWtor), there is a drop off but not much for 15" notebook, its nice screen. Compare to my screen, there is a drop off.

 

Ended up ordering a base model np5160..... the wait begins..... aaaaaaaaaahhhh

 

Congrats! The wait wont be as long as you think, and it's worth it.

 

What a terrrible laptop. I spent over several months researchinga nd found that this was the best for my budget. After only 2-3 months of using it and having it inpristine condition.

1. The termal compound (IC Diamond) has no effect and even while prohibiting Turbo Boost the temperatures while playing are 90 degrees celsius.

2. The regular temperature (during winter in Chicago where temp is close to 0) is 40-50 degrees celsius.

3. Half the time when hibernating or going int sleep mode, it just crashes saying that thes ystem had an error.

4. When playing SC2, it has lag spikes constantly, the FPS showing that it goes from 50-60 to 0 for 5-10 seconds at a time almost making the game unplayable.

5. When logging on from shut down, the screen is black for 5-15 seconds, and then shows the screen, which is definitely an indication of a problem as my relatives HP notebook which is cheaper and should be of worse quality logs on and off quicker and without any problems.

End rant.

Edit:

Did I mention that the sound quality is also terrible?

 

Then sell it. Its like a car, if it doesnt meet your expectations, sell it and buy something else.
I would think you could research these issues and see if it is normal. The audio isnt good, true, as it need headphones or an external speaker. The rest is as simple as asking the people you bought it from, or here on the forum, as to what can be done to fix or work around issue. Some of the issues seem OS related. But, good luck.

 

Hi, I have an NP5160, and I'm generally satisfied with it. My only major complaint is that when I'm on battery power, the CPU's multiplier goes from 29 maximum to 12, and I can't find any options to make it go higher. I've changed power settings in Windows, disabled SpeedStep, and nothing works at all. It still limits the multiplier to 12 when I unplug the computer.

 

So I'm really considering ordering this laptop because the price is right for what I need it for. 90% of the time I just browse the web, watch Netflix/HBO Go/NBA League Pass on my laptop. The 1600x900 screen in this price range is really the most appealing thing to me. My current laptop is an old Dell Inspiron e1505 with 1440x900, and I can't imagine downgrading to some 1366x768 screen. I do want the option to play some games if the mood strikes, but nothing major. Probably just Starcraft 2, Terraria, Witcher 2. If that is the case, would the i5-2430M be OK, or should I go for the i7-2630QM?

 

The 2430M is a decent processor and will do most of what you want, though Starcraft 2 will definitely take advantage of the 2630QM if you went with that upgrade. The Witcher 2 may not work at all on the 540m, even with low settings. So that may be worth considering if that game is important. Here are some benchmarks for that card (which has The Witcher 2 if you scroll down):

NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

 

Well the Witcher 2 is coming out for the 360, so I guess I can live without that. That was probably a little optimistic. What is the difference between the built-in wifi vs the Intel 6230? I'm assuming if I decide the built-in isn't up to par, I can always buy an Intel 6230 and install that later?

 

The wireless models work out like this:

Stock: 1x1 (sendxreceive) antennas, bluetooth, 150Mbps
6230: 2x2 antennas, bluetooth, 300Mbps
6300: 3x3 antennas, no bluetooth, 450Mbps

(The bigfoot 1102 and 1103 are the same specs as the 6230 and 6300, respectively, though no BT on either).

The upgraded 6230 makes sense if you have a 300Mbps wireless N network at home, as it will increase file transfers on the local network. It won't make a big difference in internet speeds though, as that would be limited by your ISP. The extra antennas will make for a stronger signal at further ranges as well.

You can always buy the adapter yourself and add it in later, though 3rd party prices tend to be quite a bit higher than upfront upgrade costs.

 

Soon to be a 5160 (base model) owner! UPS has my package and it should be ship to me tomorrow. So incredibly excited.... I may even do a full review on it when I get it!!

 

^ congrats! Welcome to the club (even if you are nearly a year late from the rest of us owners )

 

Just curious if you dont mind me asking but now that this model has been out for a year or so, how much did you pay for your 5160?

 

Historically your configuration would determine your final price, but at this point the Sager NP5160 has been discontinued so price is a bit irrelevant.

 

It was about 850CAD all-in for the base model. Wow why did it get discontinued? I noticed it's been taken off some retailers

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

 

The W150HRM typically was considered as the replacement. Same size and options, but it came with the 555m. It's still possible to order the W150HNQ, but only at the retailers that still carry them.

 

Optical drive bezel. I pm'd the OP to this thread, but then I thought I might as well ask everyone else, as I wasnt thinking. I need the bezel for the optical drive if you know where to get one. I need one that has the bluray etc on it or , just the sticker. Thanks

 

What did you need the bezel for? Did you add your own caddy? You should be able to just pull the appropriate bezel off of the drive you replaced it with.

 

Broke appropriate bezel. I may try some super plastic glue, but prefer new one.

 

Is there any way to disable the popup that comes up when I change the volume? I have a different program which I'd rather use. This is what I'm talking about.