__________________________________________
.:INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW:.

Hello and welcome to This is a Lamp’s first review! Although I joined Lowyat recently, I’m quite active on Notebookreview.com. Anyway, enough of the introductions.



Today, we are looking at the Sager NP8150 or the Clevo P150HM. Clevo is a Taiwanese company, acting as suppliers in the background for many of the consumer laptop brands today. However, it is also safe to say that Clevo pride themselves in making robust solutions for laptops; powerhouse in gaming, cooling and performance. While I know many Malaysians do prefer the looks of other fancy gaming laptops, e.g. Alienware and Asus, Sager/Clevo offers the business limousine rather than a crowd pleasing F1 car. Many do not know Sager/Clevo. And I’m quite saddened sometimes about this. They are lacking in marketing strategies, but sometimes appear in magazines. However, those who have owned or know about this brand, they’re one of the best high performance custom solutions on the market, with the best cooling systems in a laptop. You may argue that Alienware has the best cooling, but you haven’t seen what Sagers can do.

With this, I am based in Australia. So I am poised to deal with an Australian Clevo Reseller, namely Logical Blue One. They are very friendly, prompt in answering questions. They also update me with my order when necessary. And best of all, they reply in weekends and on Facebook! Now, who would go out of their way in the weekends to reply to work related email?
(Logical Blue One)

I have dealt with XoticPC and LPC Digital (USA Sager Resellers) in the past, with XoticPC processing my older 1st generation, Sager NP8690 with GTX 280m. They are top notch, well organised and not robots. LPC Digital gave me a good price for the NP8150, but I turned it down due to the Intel recalls that affect my current whereabouts and travels. Had a very quick refund process, with the sales representative even emailing me during his visit to the bank! I am deeply sorry for not dealing with a Malaysian/Singapore Reseller, as I am away from Malaysia.
(XoticPC & LPC-Digital )

The resellers are an important factor in choosing a Sager/Clevo laptop; they play a huge part in your purchase and warranty issues and most importantly, your first impression. As other consumer brands are answering machines and less technical when it comes to support, the Sager/Clevo resellers are people, and offer quick, adaptive technical knowledge to their customers, be it with jargon (technical words) or not. Most of these resellers are forum representatives in Notebookreview.com, and you can specifically ask them about questions and cheaper quotes. Even here in Lowyat, Mucro SG, a Singaporean reseller, has a forum rep lurking and answering questions. But do not order directly from Sager, because they are quite horrible with patrons and just about as bad as the answering machine brands.

Then comes the laptops themselves. They can come with no OS, saving you a lot. Not only that, since they are barebones directly from Clevo, the individual chassis can be modified. If you don’t want a webcam, take it off! If you don’t want your fingerprint reader, say no! Sager/Clevo does not ship their laptops with bloatware, spyware, random programs. They treat their laptops as BRAND new, not used.

Since the chassis is manufactured by them, you are free to ask specific options for your Clevo. Even down to the brand of RAM or HDD you are using, without the need to cancel your current order. Just ask, they will change.

Without further ado, the Sager/Clevo Horize NP8150 (P150HM).



________________________________
.:SPECIFICATIONS:.


So, what is inside this thing anyway? Many of you will wonder this.
The NP8150 (I shall refer it to this now), is equipped with Intel’s new line of processors, the delayed SandyBridge processors up to the 2920XM. Not only that, the motherboard supports 16GB DDR3 1333 RAMs (max), and also the elusive DDR3 1600 RAMs. These DDR3 1600Mhz are confirmed to be only on two out of the four SO-DIMMS slots, noted on the just released service manual. Although it comes with one drive bay, you can take the DVD drive out to make way for a secondary hard drive. And to top it all off, it has the fastest GPU currently on the mobile market; the NVIDIA GTX 485m, the main star of today. Yes, Clevo outsmarts its competitors.

But will it perform well? And can it cool it well? Will this laptop able to surpass the need for gamers/enthusiasts?

Anyway, here are the specs of my laptop:
- 15.6” 1920x1080 FHD+ Matte, 95% Colour Gamut.
- Dimensions: 376mm (w) * 256mm (d) * 35 - 43mm (h)
- Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM 2.2Ghz Quad Core Processor (Sandy Bridge)
- 8GB DDR3 1333 MHz. (4GB to be added later)
- Crucial C300 64GB (Firmware rev 0007) + 750GB 7200RPM Seagate Momentus + A-DATA 32GB SDHC Card Class 10
- NVIDIA GTX 485m 2GB GDDR5 w/ DX11 support (Drivers Forceware 270.28)
- Intel Centrino Wireless-N Advanced 6230 with Bluetooth.
- 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, E-SATA, HDMI out, DVI out, Firewire, 3in1 card reader slots.
- THX TruStudio Pro Surround Sound & 3W Subwoofer.
- 8 Cell Battery 76.96Wh (capable of 2 – 4 hours life) with 180W, 19V 9.47A Power adaptor.
- Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Well, I couldn’t get hold of DDR3 1600 RAMs because it’s barely out yet! At least for laptops. My reseller has options for those, but it was quite expensive…

The laptop costs $2125.95 (RM6463.64) with upgrades from Glossy to Matte, Intel 6230 Wireless and 8GB RAM. I opted for no OS, default warranty and no HDD. The SSD, HDD and 4GB RAM are parts I already have prior to purchase. Logical Blue One’s NP8150 comes straight with the 2720QM and the GTX 485m, unlike other resellers with choices from 2630QM and the GTX 460m. In preparation for my laptop, I spent maybe ~RM1,500 for new parts and accessories, haha.

BIOS, Drivers and Firmware updates are plenty from Clevo and are not tied to one manufacturer (e.g. Sony’s Drivers); the NP8150 is new so won’t have these so soon. In the future though, this laptop would have support for AMD ATi 6970m and possibly the GTX 580m. Currently it supports GTX 460m and GTX 485m. I have throttling issues with the laptop, but this is due to the fact that I'm using a secondary monitor. The laptop isn't audible when not connected to a secondary monitor.

UPDATE: As of this moment, the laptop is running 1.01.11 BIOS and 1.00.11 Firmware/EC, and the Corsair Force F60 replaced with a Crucial C300 64GB SSD. This is due to the Corsair's incompatibility with these laptops...unfortunately (failure to be detected on POST/Boot).


As you may have known, Intel had recalls of their SandyBridge processors. This laptop was wayyyy overdue, since December/January. And finally, it is here.

____________________________
.:PACKAGING:.

The packaging came with a solid brown cardboard box strapped with another cardboard box that contains the free carry case. These are taped with black tape with the words “Horize” written which is the name given to the laptop models sold at Logical Blue One. Strong tape it is. Easy to cut.



Free bag:


Inside, we have the laptop in Styrofoam, power adapter in Styrofoam and driver CDs/manuals. Nothing special, except the inclusion of a small bag labelled ”HDD Screws” but contains 3 chocolate eggs…how nice! Tastes good too!





________________________________
.:VISUAL & BUILD:.

So, while you may think right now it is very plain looking, squarish, not fancy; it’s actually built pretty sturdy. The surface is of a rubberised greyish finish, non-standard in today’s laptops. This however, contributes to the collection of dust that lingers around. Although easily wiped off, it might be a bit of a pain doing so every time. On the contrary though, the rubberised finish is quite capable of withstanding decent amount of punishment. The aura it emits doesn’t suggest that it is fragile and weak, more so that it is very sleek. But please, do not ask me to bash my laptop into a wall or something haha.

So here we have my very overused, full of fingerprints, ASUS EEE PC 1018P, 10" Netbook in comparison with the NP8150. The NP8150 has no signs of any Sager or Clevo logo. From this, you can tell that your reseller is a Clevo reseller, not a Sager rebrander. Top view:


Side view, with a text book on the bottom:


The adapter is HUGE. I said it a couple of times in forums; this thing can kill someone if you throw it at his/her face.



This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Aug 13 2011, 07:42 AM

Island styled or Chiclet styled keyboards are making their way to the market. Clevo on the other hand, already had their keyboards to be chiclet.

The keyboard has basic Clevo FN functions available in most Clevos (e.g disable touchpad, bluetooth/wireless, brightness). But I’m pretty sure not many of you have own one. One thing to note though that if you press FN+1, the fans will spin at MAX speed.

The keyboard also indicates the WSAD keys with red indicators. Hmm, fancy. Clevo machines come with a 3x3 Numpad system on the right side. It might take a while to get used to for some of you. The spacing for each key is quite large as well. There is little or no flex, unless you intentionally apply force on the keys. Sorry I forgot to take out the sticker on the speakers and palm rests during photo shots.



The problem with this setup is that some of the more important buttons i.e. home, page up, page down, are tied to the Numpad themselves and may cause some frustration among users. I personally have already gotten used to this setup and have compensated those keys with my mouse’s macro buttons.



Left and right indicators




The NP8150 does NOT have backlit keyboard. Ever. While many think that this is debatable, I do not think it’s necessary to have that feature. Personal preference. But it’s nice to type something in the dark during long night hours. And maybe in the future, Clevo may falter from constant persistence of user feedback, and include backlit keys.

Typing can be noisy sometimes, with tapping sounds emitting. But if you’re playing games, distracted, watching movies or playing music, the tapping doesn’t bother much. Probably in a silent environment, it may be of an annoyance to some people.

The touchpad. I think it’s Clevo’s “room for improvement” area. I had the Sager NP8690 before, and the touchpad was horrendous! And sadly, the NP8150 has a similar feel to that terrible movement of the touchpad. It somewhat feels better than the older models though; the rubberized finish extends to the touchpad. But as it stands, I am using the mouse most, if not all the time. So this isn’t so bad. Subjective views though.



As mentioned in the specifications, the NP8150 comes with 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, E-SATA, HDMI, DVI connectors. No Express card slots.





This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Mar 30 2011, 02:32 PM

The beauty about a Sager is that most components are customisable; the CPU, the RAM, HDDs, Optical Drives, GPUs, Wireless cards, LCDs. All of these are within reach of your hands and screwdriver, well, maybe not the LCD. These do not void your warranty if you choose to change components! The upgradability is somewhat similar to the Alienware mobile solutions. But did you know Clevo was also the supplier for Alienware laptops?

I am a sucker for modding, on a small scale at least. You will see later that I have extra heatsinks on the default one below. This may help in decreasing the temps later on in this review, but probably a non-factor. My older NP8690 also had some modding on it before being sold. Also, I have the urge to wire up some lighting on the laptop’s inside…but failed to do so due to the size of the inverter I have, and the minimal headroom in the laptop.



Well, inside, you can see that it’s just easy to open (4 screws to pop open the back panel), and the components are laid out in an art form. It’s not messy, the fans are rightly positioned, the harddisk is accessible and there’s no need to play doctor with this laptop because it’s very very user friendly. GPU is on the left with a copper heatsink and fins, CPU is on the right with a copper heatsink and aluminium fins, RAM modules in the middle, HDD is on the mid- bottom.



Ventilations and fans are placed at the back of the laptop, not in the front or sides. This is typical of Clevo design and aids in keeping your palms cool and not heating your fingers and hands. If you ever want to get a laptop cooler, get one that fits by the fan intakes (like the Cryo LX). The more likely candidate that will warm your palms would be the optical drive bay which is on your right palm when typing. A 750GB 7200RPM Seagate Momentus sits in this palm area, and so far, it isn't warm at all. Very nice.

Here's a comparison between the NP8150's DVD Drive and the wrong ODD bay I bought. If you ever need to buy a second optical bay, check the connectors first; it has to be SATA to SATA. Make sure that it is the same as the top half. Don't be stupid like me, who got overexcited and just bought a random ODD bay.



It is 6.83lbs or 3.1kg with batteries and optical bay; not really on the standard scale of weightings on your everyday laptop. But that’s understandable, considering the attention to cooling the system down. I’m pretty sure other desktop replacement laptops are heavier than this…my NP8690 was even heavier, and don’t even come to the Alienware M15x/M17x…it’s a bus! And yes I had an Alienware FYI, before you jump out and attack me with pitchforks and glassware.

______________________________
.:LCD SCREEN:.

For those who are interested, the type of screen I have is an AUO Optronics B156HW01.v4 Matte Screen, with a 95% Colour Gamut. This screen isn’t the default one for the NP8150; I actually had it upgraded from the FHD Glossy B156HW01.v0 with a 60% Colour Gamut. If you order the default configuration, the NP8150 comes with the FHD Glossy screen.

About the B156HW01.v4.
This screen. Is. Just. Absolutely. Gorgeous! I begin to like Matte, coming from Glossy laptops. Fingerprints are scarce on the LCD, and the colours are bright and crisp, especially for a matte. Outside use is very good and seemed like no light is going to get through the laptop. No dead pixels are seen.

Glossy plastic surrounds the LCD and also the webcam. This can get smudgy and dirty quite easily in comparison to the rubberized finish which covers most of the laptop.

The movie "9" Blue-Ray 1080p. He is sad because he knows that I bought the wrong ODD bay...:


Directing sunlight from outside:


Viewing angles are good. In a small room with four people watching a movie, 4 out of 4 people are able to see the screen. Increasing that number, still manages to allow users to see until people start to block your view. The "down" angle is pretty extreme though; obviously at that angle most LCDs tend to wash out.






This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Mar 28 2011, 11:42 AM

______________________________________
.:GAMES & BENCHMARKS:.

We have come to the section where this laptop will shine to the ends of galaxies. This laptop was made to serve one purpose; to give gamers and users alike, a run for their money and hours of mouth gasps and jaw drop moments. Since this is a new laptop, I am still in the process of getting games and programs installed on the system. However, I am a very hardcore gamer just for the info. I probably tried and played too many games, both online and offline. If you come up with a name of a game, be it console (except Xbox) or PC, I probably most likely have heard it and/or tried it.


3DMark scores, that I took. Only basic editions though. I compared with some desktops right now, this thing just pushes it aside like a toy.

3DMark Vantage Results, V1.1 :


3DMark 11, very taxing benchmark... Results :


Cheesenium's request of Furmark:


Windows Experience Index (WEI):


Starcraft II, with FRAPS:


Starcraft II is quite demanding if cranked up to its higher settings. The NP8150 runs SCII on extreme without any difficulty and sits at 40-60FPS. Average was 50FPS. 1v1 AI game.

NBA 2K11, performance benchmark:


75FPS noted on the screenshot. Ran very smooth, transitions are smooth, and minimal to no lag.

Devil May Cry 4 Benchmark, DirectX 10:


Devil May Cry 4 ran blistering hot! Not laptop hot, but I was getting hot watching the amazing visuals! 1920x1080 resolution, max textures and full AA. There was a slight dip in the graph where I had to alt-tab to get Fraps to run.

Final Fantasy XIV Online Official Benchmark:


Very playable. Lowest FPS was 37. Settings were on High res option.

Lost Planet 2, Benchmark Test B, DirectX 11:


This game has amazing visuals and gameplay which blew me off the seat. DirectX 11 is the new thing on the block and it is my first time stepping into the DX11 world. LP2 ran at an average of 20-30FPS, quite playable. This is with full settings on, with max AA.

Crysis 2, Extreme settings:




The most gorgeous game yet. Settings are limited from High, Very High and Extreme; pre-patch was Advanced, Gamer, Hardcore. The game runs on Extreme settings at 30-50FPS. Very very well. Amazing game. Had hours of multiplayer enjoyment for the first few days after install...but snipers are quite annoying lately.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution:

Full settings, no lag, even during FRAPS. A very superb game, very fun !



Other benchmarks done:
Pro Evolution Soccer - Full settings. FPS cap was 60, therefore the game ran 55 - 60 FPS with no lag at all.



Speakers are located horizontally on the top of the keyboard, right below the LCD. It looks very nice in fact. So, it is befitting that I put some sound benchmark videos for you users to see how the 2.1 system sounds like. I never had a laptop with a 2.1 Sound system built in, so here’s a good idea of it. If you can, watch in 1080p thanks. Video compromises of a song and an anime playback.



It actually sounds great and better than most consumer laptops right now, with the exception of those JBL speakers on Dell laptops and Toshiba’s Altec Lansings. The THX TruStudio included is a simple program that allows users to add effects such as crystallizer, surround etc.

This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Aug 30 2011, 10:34 PM

________________________________
.:TEMPERATURES:.

Australia. Hot and just hot. It can get cold though. The figures may differ from where I am.
The temperature and ambient difference might be quite apparent in a hot humid country like Malaysia. However I will try my best to give you an estimate of the temps. I have a modded Cryo LX below the NP8150, but I have switched this off for the duration of the benchmarks and temperatures.

Ambient temps are 20 – 21C, air conditioned room. The laptop was running for a few hours, with mix activities done. Anime watching, surfing, sound tests, 3Dmark benchmarks, some games.



Give or take 1 – 2 degrees off from my extra heat sinks, and there you go. Smooth sailing even on load. The GTX 485m didn't even break a sweat, more so the i7-2720QM as well. At idle, the GTX 485m was 38C, which is really impressive coming from a high TDP performance GPU. The CPU's current state during the time of photo capture were kinda in the mid 60s because I was playing music and doing other things in the background haha.

I noticed something on the voltages on the GTX 485m though; it somewhat decreased from 1V to 0.85V. Maybe it suggests that it undervolts itself when idle. Pretty good feature I think, saves your electric bills and less heat.

___________________________
.:OVERCLOCKING:.

To be added soon! Preliminary stages now.

___________________________
.:SUMMARY:.

Well, this. The Sager NP8150 just blew my mind away. Clevo did it again. The NP8690 (the predecessor) was already a great product, and the Sager NP8150 just took it further. I do not know if it appeals to many of you, because the warranty is an issue in Malaysia, and the looks aren’t what many of you prefer (yeah of course they want a Ferrari as oppose to a Rolls Royce).

”OMG MAN LOOK LIKE BOX ! DUN WAN!”

It does not fancy backlit keys; it does not have coloured coded interfaces and fancy touch screen media players.
But I can tell you this. This machine has bragging rights. An entitlement of NVIDIA’s GTX 485m in a 15.6” form factor that will not grab attention seekers alike. It runs very cool for a high end card, and that's thanks to Clevo's superb cooling. The 2.1 speakers already sound great, coupled with the ease of upgradability.

Now, any games now that you throw at it, it will simply chomp it down and say:



And you will have that privilege of saying so, if you own one yourself. Brag it to your mom or your spouse or even your dog (if he barks then he likes it, if he doesn't he's just jealous).

Aside from minor issues like possible dust collection, glossy, smudgy plastic area around the LCD and mediocre touchpad, this definitely was catered and categorised as a high performance gaming solution laptop. This, in a long run, will keep you company (it will for me for the next 4 – 5 years). And lose a girlfriend/boyfriend at the same time.

If there are any questions (like ”Do you do charities” or “Where is your house?”) or things you want me to add, feel free to reply to this thread or PM me. There will be changes soon, so stay tuned to the next episode...

Visit our small Sager community in Lowyat!

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1755925



My current setup:
- NZXT Cryo LX notebook cooler 3x120mm Fans, modded w/ 2 Scythe S-Flex 1600RPMs + Antec Tricool Blue
- 22” Samsung BX2235 LED Monitor w/ Extended Display
- 2TB WD External USB 3.0, 1TB Iomega Drive USB 2.0
- Roccat Apuri USB Hub + Logitech USB Hub
- Roccat Kone + Tracer Illuminated Mouse Pad
- Creative X-Fi USB 5.1 Surround + Logitech Pure-Fi 2 Anywhere Speakers + Corsair HS1A Gaming Headset

This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: May 30 2011, 08:19 PM

wow ,how much you pay all ?

HAHAHA! I actually don't know to be honest! Probably kills your wallet hahaha.

If you're talking about the laptop, it's RM6.4K. With accessories, that I don't know...

This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Mar 16 2011, 09:11 PM

all in its around 8k?

I did a quick count, it's about RM7.5 ~ 8K total.

Very nice Review indeed. Sager did it again. You poisoned me! haha

the hdd screw packing like chocolate

I like this quote!

I checked the website.

There's no option to upgrade the screen?

http://www.logicalblueone.com.au/store/413...g-notebook.html

Apparently it's a separate website for it haha.

http://www.logicalblueone.com.au/store/293...-1920x1080.html


Haha , because it IS chocolate!

This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Mar 16 2011, 09:33 PM

Thanks for the review. Good for those looking for desktop replacement.

Are there any other shops than Logical Blue One in Australia?

i like the look of your laptop,simple no fuss design like Lian Li desktop casings.

I know three others. I found Logical Blue One to be the most friendliest one and have similarities with Sager/Clevo USA reseller customer services.

http://www.p4laptops.com.au/

http://www.affordablelaptops.com.au/conten...p-notebook.html

http://www.pioneercomputers.com.au/product....asp?c1=3&c2=13

aiyo
made me crave for it more
still wondering when is mine coming

omai... this machine is sick...