Sager NP8690 - Clevo W860CU Owners Lounge

[jennings786]

Thought I would start!!

[pernicus]

i7m :cool:

[programjunkie]

So, no easy way to take pictures, but here are some first impressions:

1. Noise is pretty good even under hours of heavy load. It's not on my lap, but nothing is really hot to the touch either.

2. I really like the look of the unit. I am very pleased with the aesthetics.

3. Keyboard is decent. It's kinda weird, but pretty good.

4. This computer runs games amazingly. I have run large combats in Resident Evil 5 on DX10 1920 x 1080, x2 AA, etc without a hitch. It runs COD4 very well with excellent settings, and the ultra high resolution and AA makes using iron sights in multiplayer easier than before. This is better than my previous desktop system so far!

5. Many of the drivers are current, so you are pretty much ready to start installing games right away.

6. 1920x1080 is a little small on a 15.6" display for Windows desktop / word browsing. Trying to figure out the ideal settings for this.

7. Overall, very happy with the system so far.

[amdolev]

5. Many of the drivers are current, so you are pretty much ready to start installing games right away.



Do you have a vista-64? What about the W7-64 drivers?

[BrandonSi]

So, no easy way to take pictures, but here are some first impressions:

1. Noise is pretty good even under hours of heavy load. It's not on my lap, but nothing is really hot to the touch either.

2. I really like the look of the unit. I am very pleased with the aesthetics.

3. Keyboard is decent. It's kinda weird, but pretty good.

4. This computer runs games amazingly. I have run large combats in Resident Evil 5 on DX10 1920 x 1080, x2 AA, etc without a hitch. It runs COD4 very well with excellent settings, and the ultra high resolution and AA makes using iron sights in multiplayer easier than before. This is better than my previous desktop system so far!

5. Many of the drivers are current, so you are pretty much ready to start installing games right away.

6. 1920x1080 is a little small on a 15.6" display for Windows desktop / word browsing. Trying to figure out the ideal settings for this.

7. Overall, very happy with the system so far.

Thanks man! Could you do me a favor and run this benchmark for me, let me know what your score is? (and if you got the 720QM or 820QM?)

http://www.jens.tauchclub-krems.at/diverses/Schach/Fritz%20Chess%20Benchmark.zip

It's just a chess program benchmark. Thanks!! :D

[programjunkie]

Do you have a vista-64? What about the W7-64 drivers?

Vista 64. I'm upgrading to Windows 7 on the GA date probably.

Thanks man! Could you do me a favor and run this benchmark for me, let me know what your score is? (and if you got the 720QM or 820QM?)

http://www.jens.tauchclub-krems.at/diverses/Schach/Fritz%20Chess%20Benchmark.zip (http://www.jens.tauchclub-krems.at/diverses/Schach/Fritz%20Chess%20Benchmark.zip)

It's just a chess program benchmark. Thanks!! :D

720QM
Relative speed: 13.31

[BrandonSi]

Vista 64. I'm upgrading to Windows 7 on the GA date probably.



720QM
Relative speed: 13.31

Thanks so much!

[GIG.AD]

Is that good.
For comparison my NP8662 with Q9200 got

[BrandonSi]

Is that good.
For comparison my NP8662 with Q9200 got

Well, your Q9200 obviously performed better, but ram speed plays into it a bit as well. It's very CPU intensive, and I've seen some Q9xxx overclocked that do really well. Not sure if you can control the quad core overclocking on the 720QM. Obviously the i7 has great benefits over the regular Core 2 Quad, so for me as long as the 720QM was in the same ballpark as the Q9xxx series I'm good with it.

I would be curious to see how the 820QM stacks up. If you're interested in comparing results, you can see my thread here with a list of various processors and their benchmarks over at NBR.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=421863

[firstwardo]

3. Keyboard is decent. It's kinda weird, but pretty good.

Please elaborate.

In pictures, I find the keyboard to be a bit recessed into the computer, is that the issue? Or are the key risen up so they are flush with the palmrest?

[BrandonSi]

Is that good.
For comparison my NP8662 with Q9200 got

It's pretty close, and the Fritz benchmark is all about pure math, and how fast it can get that math done. So in almost every case, a higher clock speed with the same amount of cores will win. It was written in the P4 days, so it's not optimized very much. I'd be very happy with either score.

[jgs9455]

I can't wait! I ordered Friday 10/9 and my status is at Phase 2 (Sent for Custom Building / Testing / Burn In & Final QA) 3-7 Business Days. I ordered a i7-720QM too. Well I guess I'll have to wait another month for COD6.... :o)

[stormin]

I don't know if this is hardware or software or what. I'm running Windows 7 RC1. Everytime someone calls me in Skype, it automatically mutes my mike.

I have to go into Sound -> Recording

There are two mikes there. The microphone that actually works (you can see the green bar when I talk) is never muted. The other mike is muted. I have to unmute that mike, then sound works.

Anyone know anything about this?

[Mike2394]

Hi guys, I am looking to buy an 8690 for my birthday in February, so I would like to know:

1.) How durable is it? (I previously owned a Dell XPS m1710 which I absolutely loved, but it crapped out about 2 years after I got it)

2.) How future-proof is it?

3.) How upgradeable is it in terms of graphics/processor? (I'm not afraid to open it up. I have completely disassembled/reassembled my 1710 multiple times to apply AS5 and replace the LCD.

Sorry about the unintentional thread hijacking. I figured this would be a good place to ask my question :D

[amdolev]

did anyone have any hardware "out of the box" issues?
i.e.
dead pixels, k/b that does problems, wrong specs (like wrong monitor resolution) etc.

the reason is that my mom is picking up the laptop from the US (>blush<), and i'd like to know if she should focus about anything when checking.

[bisfrim]

Yeah mine had a problem. I had just received it today and whenever the computer starts, it starts making some loud beeping noise and shuts down automatically. So i contacted sager and they told me to check if the two fans underneath the laptop is running. The right one did, but the left one wan't. I was told the noise was the laptop being overheated due to one of the fans not working..
Now i got to send it back and wait. SUcks

[krforrester]

I have a "stuck" pixel (white pixel) but so far it isn't bothering me since it is off to the right and only noticeable on a black background. Other than that, it runs like a dream.

[simprog1700]

Just ordered this machine with an 820. It looks like it will do all I want/need. Hopefully it will get here soon. It is replacing a less than two year old Fujitsu which weighs close to 11 pounds. Have never owned a Sager/Clevo before but have heard only good things about them from all the reviews. I was looking at the Asus G51J but could not get past the heat/upgrade issues.

[amdolev]

Just recieved mine 2 days ago. I was soooo excited! Although I didn't have the time to run games through it (I've been working all weekend) I can honestly say that this really lives up to the expectations thus far and even exceeds them.

I'm playing Football Manager and days are passing very quick, although i believe that under W7 they'll pass even quicker.
I've seen live HD sports on the screen and was blown away. Screen is amazing! It's a bit difficult for me to get used to the resolution, but i'll manage eventually. I tried using the 1600X900, but it didn't look as good. Oh well... they say everyone gets used to it eventually. Just had to magnify the fonts on the IE.
Lastly, I've worked on it for several hours, installing and updating stuff... watching a movie and surfing the web. Not too demanding or anything. The laptop and the surface beneth it stayed surprisingly cool! As if nothing was on it. The laptop itself was also quite cool.

The only downsides thus far, is that the place where your right wrist, just above the HDD can get warm. Nothing you can't handle, and not really inconvinient. Just noticeable. Also, the charger is really heavy. I didn't weigh it to be precise, but it's heavier then the chrargers I had before.

Runs like a dream...

[simprog1700]

Has anyone else recieved thier machines yet after the backorder???

[xsnrg]

Hey all, been reading for weeks...first post

@simprog1700

My status updated to 4 (shipped) yesterday....although the tracking information has not been updated since.

I ordered October 14th, loooong wait, but atleast i was able to get windows 7 oem installed instead of vista with an upgrade.


x

[simprog1700]

Just rec'd e-mail mine is out the door also. Has 7 pro on it as I want to play with the XP portion of it. Can't wait to get my hands on this thing!!!

[powerpack]

Hey guys! Those of you who already have can you tell me about build materials? Someone is asking and since I have never touched need your help. Is the lid Aluminum? Anything else? Feel of the plastic, good and overall?

Help me guys.

[darzigma]

Hmm..
Mine has just get of the shipping box an hour ago..
Hvn't feel it yet though( I got an exam this arfo,OMG)..
But I think overall it's made out of hard plastic, and the handle of the hinge is metal..
Sure this is a heavy object to deal with, the thickness of the laptop(w/o screen) is 1.5x thicker than my previous Acer 6935G

[josh_g]

How is the 1920x1080 display? On startup, is it a nice deep black or a dull grey? How are the viewing angles? My last ASUS had terrible viewing angles and the contrast was also bad. The display is important to me so any help would be really appreciated.

[doulikefishsticks?]

Hey guys,
Just wanted to check if anyone else experiences a sort of high pitched whine when running the system. The sound only comes when u plug in a device into the usb ports. As soon as u take it out, the whine stops.
Is this normal?

[darzigma]

Hey guys,
Just wanted to check if anyone else experiences a sort of high pitched whine when running the system. The sound only comes when u plug in a device into the usb ports. As soon as u take it out, the whine stops.
Is this normal?
Is that for real?? I thought the fans go whining immediately after u run a lot of programs(which takes away a lot of physical memory,such as HD game;Crysis;NFS;or something else).
Mine doesn't whine at all, and I plug a notebook cooler,a wireless mouse receiver,and an Xbox controller, all the time..:laugh:
After all Sager's fan sure is a noisy one,haha..but nothing compared to the performance..

[sutekh_slain]

So I just read a review of the w860cu on notebookcheck and apparently battery life comes to about an hour on min brightness and max power saving settings.

Here's the link (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Deviltech-Devil-9700-DTX-W860CU-Notebook.22329.0.html)in case anybody's interested

could anybody corroborate this?

[Devari]

The computer should be about 150 miles away... Hopefully it'll show up tomorrow! 1920x1080 version. I think my order was switched over on the 7th of October, so this has been a long time coming :).

[simprog1700]

I have had a week to play with this thing and all I can say is WOW!!! The build quality is better than I expected and the support I have rec'd from Xotic is nothing short of phenomenal. The hi-res screen at 15.4 took a little getting used to but is well worth it!!!

[jdong23]

Just curious if anyone has used bluetooth on the 8690. I've had mine for a while now and I just realized I don't have it available in my OS and their doesn't seem to be any drivers. I'm running Windows 7 Pro.

[Justin_W@XoticPC]

Just to make sure, have you turned on the bluetooth by pressing Fn + F12 in windows 7 yet?

[Devari]

So my 8690 arrived today. I had to chase down the UPS guys as they had arrived just shortly after I got out of class. Posting on the 8690 now as we speak. Looks gorgeous, custom skin on the back. I went with a solid state drive, and I have to say, I am enjoying the installation speeds. Installing WoW right now. My raids are done for the week, but I could certainly throw this PC to the wolves and join a queue for wintergrasp. More to come.

Edit: I'm not sure if it is Windows 7 or the SSD, but the speed is just mindblowing.

[Tuna]

I'm still waiting for mine to arrive here in Iraq. :(

[darzigma]

hmm..i guess paying more for the express delivery is not bad, besides,they will impress u!!

[Devari]

I don't necessarily think it is the express delivery so much as it is the delays. I got mine after just short of two months after my original order (closer to a month and a half on this specific model but it is complicated). The thing that compounded it was delays and shortages (which could be tracked better imo). If they have all the parts, they do seem to work pretty efficiently and high quality.

In regards to Tuna, although shipping to APO/FPO does complicate matters quite a bit, as anything not mission essential is low priority on the military shipping schedule. I just hope they put up some kind of a decent AAFEs up there for you guys to pickup some decent software.

I could be mistaken, but your package probably follows this path. Lincoln NE -> Omaha -> Baltimore/New York -> Mildenhall, UK -> Ramstein Germany -> Aviano Italy -> Incirlik Turkey -> Iraq. That is a lot of stops for very old military aircraft to break.

[Tuna]

In regards to Tuna, although shipping to APO/FPO does complicate matters quite a bit, as anything not mission essential is low priority on the military shipping schedule. I just hope they put up some kind of a decent AAFEs up there for you guys to pickup some decent software.

I could be mistaken, but your package probably follows this path. Lincoln NE -> Omaha -> Baltimore/New York -> Mildenhall, UK -> Ramstein Germany -> Aviano Italy -> Incirlik Turkey -> Iraq. That is a lot of stops for very old military aircraft to break.

It's a crapshoot, really. I've received items from the states in as little as 5 days (shipped on Monday, received on Saturday) from when they were initially shipped out and I've had other items take as long as a month or more. It kinda sucks, but there's not much to do about it. The only thing I've noticed is that it seems the more I'm anxious to receive something, the longer it takes to get to me. The laptop was shipped on the 9th from Xotic so it hasn't been too terribly long yet.

As far as the routing, I'm really not sure how it goes. I know on passenger flights there aren't nearly that many stops, but that's totally different from the mail flights.

[jdong23]

Thanks Justin, the Fn+F12 worked!

[Rcain]

I finally pulled the trigger on An 8690. Any one know how long it usually take to ship?

[Cogito]

Is there documentation included with the computer? I couldn't find any reference to a manual.

Thanks!

[amdolev]

full manual is on the sager website... just look for support > downloads > 8690

[Cogito]

full manual is on the sager website... just look for support > downloads > 8690
Thanks, Amdolev! I had checked the site, but when I went to Support it seemed the only downloads were for drivers, and I didn't go further. Now I have something to read while I wait for my 8690. Since it's my first notebook, I need all the information I can get! :)

[amdolev]

like knowing what all the various Fn key do :P

[Xaneous]

Hello everyone,
i've just received my shipment of a new np8690 sager. Been dying to turn it on and try out this baby as i've been bored out of my mind without a laptop on this geo site....

ONE problem though,
it seems i have received two... Yes, not one.. But two adapters! At first i thought they might be the two same adapters but after a closer look they are indeed different although both have similar inputs and outputs. I'm not sure as to what to do. I've already e-mailed sager about this and still waiting for a reply. I thought i might just post the specs of the two adapters and see if any of you could help and maybe identify the correct one.

First one :
LI SHIN INTERNATION ENTERPRISE CORP.

168 x 63 x 28 mm
MODEL : 0227A20120
INPUT : 100-240 V ~, 50-60HZ 2.0A
OUTPUT : 20V --- 6.0A

Second one :
EDAC (EDAC POWER ELECTRIC)
175 x 60 x 37 mm
MODEL : EA11203B
INPUT : 100-240V ~ 2.5A, 50-60 HZ
OUTPUT : 18-24 V --- 6.0A
120W MAX

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

*Additional Info*
i believe i've already established which one is the correct one (i hope) which is the EDAC adapter. But any info that anyone can give to confirm might be wonderful as i'm going to bed and not going to muck around with it yet until tomorrow. Thanks again

[Cogito]

I learned earlier today that my 8690 would be delivered on the 10th, and I'm pretty excited. I've been reading the manual, and I see that a new battery should be completely drained and then recharged. Did all of you do this when you first got your Sager? Xoticpc is installing Windows 7, so would they have prepared the battery? Thanks for your help!

[amdolev]

@ Xaneous
Sorry for delayed response. I have the Li-Shin one, with same specs. I dunno what's the EDAC one. specs seem for a weaker laptop. Maybe for 8662?

@ Cogito
You're supposed to do it with every rechargable battery. Also for Cell-phones, Cameras etc.
You're supposed to fully charge and drain 3 times, and then do it once a month or so, to keep battery life as long as you can (not actual battery life, but to prevent it from diminishing). I always forget do it to my batteries :P but even without that, batteries should stay in good shape for at least 30 months.

Besides, it's a "stay plugged in" laptop. I hardly disconnect it from the power source. The battery is wayyy to weak to support any significant activity w/o hick-ups. It's just to keep your laptop alive while you have an outage or move it from power source to another. I think it's more of a moblie UPS then a battery :)

[Cogito]

You're supposed to do it with every rechargable battery. Also for Cell-phones, Cameras etc.
You're supposed to fully charge and drain 3 times, and then do it once a month or so, to keep battery life as long as you can (not actual battery life, but to prevent it from diminishing). I always forget do it to my batteries :P but even without that, batteries should stay in good shape for at least 30 months.

Besides, it's a "stay plugged in" laptop. I hardly disconnect it from the power source. The battery is wayyy to weak to support any significant activity w/o hick-ups. It's just to keep your laptop alive while you have an outage or move it from power source to another. I think it's more of a moblie UPS then a battery :)Thanks for your help again, Amdolev! My laptop will also be a "stay plugged in", and I'm hopeful I won't have to replace the battery for a looong time. I need to rebuild my finances.:)

[amdolev]

I don't worry about cost of parts as much as I don't like shipping costs halfway around the world :(

Good thing I was able to come to the US to pick it up, other wise, shipping costs (and taxes) would've made it 50% more expensive :(

[-V-]

Uhhh...kind of a weird problem. My computer does not produce bass.

I don't mean the speakers, I mean I played the exact same audio file on my Sager and regular desktop, with the same headphones, and on my desktop I can hear all the bass just fine, but on the Sager I can't hear anything...

Just wanted to confirm that this is not normal...?

This is the video I used to test the bass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH_sUK7hJxE

I don't hear anything until about 1m40s in.

[-V-]

Rolled-back, then re-updated the sound driver. Then went to the Realtek site and downloaded and installed that one. Still sounds awful, all the sound is tinny, like on really cheap speakers/headphones.

Just used the same headphones on my desktop, my Dell Latitude 1500 from 3 years ago, and my Sager. The desktop and the Latitude sound basically the same, while the Sager through most of the video has either no sound, or a very weak hum. Definitely no deep bass of any kind.

[amdolev]

I think that audio might be the weakspot in this model. Some jacks produce a strange humming noise. luckily, not all... still annoying

[Cogito]

My new laptop is up and running, and so far I'm tremendously pleased. I was surprised, however, to find a trial version of MS Office installed. I definitely did not order, nor did I want, any software installed, other than the Windows 7 OS. There is also a program called Personal Safe. This is apparently a program from Sager/Clevo, but I'm reluctant to initialize it, because at this point I have no idea what it is! I've removed Office, but I'm leaving Passbook in the hope that I can figure out whether I want it or not. A more positive surprise was finding the drivers were already installed, saving me the task I'd expected.

It's going to take me a while to really access the 8690; my first focus will be making the transition direct from XP Pro to Windows 7. I'm really pleased with Xoticpc, though, and grateful for the information in this forum. :)

[Herr_Roehrig]

Hy Guys,

I received mine Sager NP8690 two weeks ago and everything is fantastic... so far so good!!!!! I need to say that this is my first best shop ever, I'm extremelly satisfied with the product and what it delivers to my need, I just play Call of Duty Series (COD UO, COD4, COD5 and COD MW2)and I'm waiting for next generation game from EA Games, Battlefield Bad Company 2, this game suppose to put the machine under high demands.

I need to say that I played everything under maximum resolution and AA x4, really smooth!!!!!! I ordered mine with processor i7-820QM and no complain at all, for my kind of games this notebook is just perfect!!!! My next step is to buy a good headset, probably Sennheiser PC350.

And I need to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH to Justin, for the really nice support for my purchasing, I ordered from Brazil and it just arrived perfect and on time!

BR.

[_Sligh_]

After much haggling with UPS, I finally received my NP8690 over the weekend and have spent the better portion of monday and tuesday throwing all of my music, movies and games onto it, and I have say that I am also extremely pleased with my purchase.

To those concerned with the 1920x1200 native resolution (as I was at first), I have to say I am very glad I opted for it. Not only do the games look amazing, but I have to say the text size hasn't even been an issue for me. Frame rates are fluid and even better than my 9800 GTX+ I was using in my desktop at 1680x1050. Monitor looks brilliant, too. It's an impressive machine, and thanks to Xotic for making the ordering easy, and keeping me up to date with notifications of the progress of my machine. I will definitely recommend you guys to anyone looking.

[powerpack]

Good to hear Sligh! Man you built that up!

[_Sligh_]

Good to hear Sligh! Man you built that up!

Well, this is my first laptop, and I am heading to grad school in the summer, but my one rule was that it had to be better than my current desktop (which is creeping up on 3 yrs old), including the video card. This laptop more than meets that requirement, with a little bit of futureproofness at the same time. I'm copywriting that term "futureproofness".

[spybenj]

I love it, 'nuff said.
Now, I have a question. Im going to buy a new screen, the lcd really isnt great with this laptop which is the only problem.
Whats the connector for this?

[iFly55]

I'll soon be a proud owner of a Sager NP8690, i've been to many different sites looking for competitive prices and support but none of them could size upto XOTICPC.

Sager NP8690 (Clevo W860CU)

15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080)
Intel® Core™ i7-820QM, 1.73-3.06GHz, (45nm, 8MB L3 cache)
4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory
nVidia GeForce GTX 285M 1,024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX10
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
80GB Intel X25-M Solid State Drive (SSD2 Serial-ATA II)
Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW
No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only

Subtotal: $2084USD
Shipping/Discounts: $2144.24USD

I'm quite disappointed in PayPal for having such a high exchange rate: USD->CAD (1.10)

I decided to go for the 1080p display, allot of the media i watch is in 1080p. Having the 900p display would force me to upscale 720p or resize 1080p.

I do heavy transparent x264 HD re-encoding, and core speeds are important; the 920XM simply wasn't worth the price/performance.

4GB RAM is more than enough for me.

The thermal compound took me sometime to decide, because the IC Diamond paste costs about $20USD and it's got enough there for a few dozen laptops. I decided to trust XOTICPC in it's application, because i'm insecure about applying it myself. I've read if applied incorrectly it would increase heat.

Intel SSD2, enough said; looking forward to benching this baby.

XOTICPC has saved me allot of money by allowing me to install the operating system myself. With other resellers they force you to get HOME for 99USD.

I think i purchased the laptop at a really awesome time, taking advantage of the price drops and hardware upgrades including the nVidia 285M GTX.

[amdolev]

285M GTX? COOL!
How much better should it be compared to the 280?

One more thing i'd like to add about this laptop: It has become now my main computer, since I'm moving to another country (sold my desktop, and no job :P), and the place where I rest my left palm is excactly the same place where my watch is, and I must take it off for long typing of emails or msgs. Not the best piece of ergonomics IMHO.

[simprog1700]

I was going to ask the same EXACT question about the 285 vice the 280. If it is just a couple ticks higher on the clocks then there is no use changing or worrying about being 'outdated'. However if there is some quantum leap in technology or features then what is the cost to upgrade???

[amdolev]

I guess that after all it's not really anything better. After all, I still run 90% of latest games on highest (or close enough) settings.

[dieselglock]

After weeks of reading just ordered mine from Justin W.:)

These are the specs:

1x Sager NP8690 (Built on Clevo W860CU) Custom Gaming Laptop

15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080)
Intel® Core™ i7-820QM, 1.73-3.06GHz, (45nm, 8MB L3 cache)
8,192MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory
nVidia GeForce GTX 285M 1,024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX10
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
500GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW
No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only

Can't wait to try it out :D

[simprog1700]

I have had mine for about 5 months now............no complaints!!! Does everything I need it to and more.

[Maverick494]

My 8690 is in the works, I was under a time crunch so I paid the 49.00 rush build fee. Hoping to have it by NLT March 12th. I went with this:

- Display: 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM, 1.60-2.80GHz, (45nm, 6MB L3 cache)
-Graphics Video Card: ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5870 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- Ram: ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (Requires Vista 64-Bit to utilize Full 4GB)
-Primary Hard Drive: ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)

I already own Windows 7 Ultimate so that will be going on. I am upgrading from a gateway P-7805u which had a T9550(I upgraded this), a 9800MGTS 1GB, and 4GB DDR3 1066. I was mostly looking at the DX11 card that is offered in this for some futureproofing along with the capability of DDR3 1333 RAM.

[SeattleMan]

My 8690 is in the works, I was under a time crunch so I paid the 49.00 rush build fee. Hoping to have it by NLT March 12th. I went with this:

- Display: 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM, 1.60-2.80GHz, (45nm, 6MB L3 cache)
-Graphics Video Card: ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5870 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- Ram: ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (Requires Vista 64-Bit to utilize Full 4GB)
-Primary Hard Drive: ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)

I already own Windows 7 Ultimate so that will be going on. I am upgrading from a gateway P-7805u which had a T9550(I upgraded this), a 9800MGTS 1GB, and 4GB DDR3 1066. I was mostly looking at the DX11 card that is offered in this for some futureproofing along with the capability of DDR3 1333 RAM.


Shouldn't be too long.
Ordered my 8690 on Thursday, Shipped out late Friday night.
2-Day UPS, I'll have it tomorrow :biggrin:

[Maverick494]

laptop recv'd as of 1PM. A quick down and dirty bench with 3d mark vantage, no O/C, no tweaks yielded an 8220 score. Comparing that with my old laptop with the P8600 and an 9800M GTS that scored 3412 I'd say this thing is doing very well.

First impressions: It is lighter than I thought, the keyboard is sweet and easy to use, the display is awesome (upgraded to the 1920x1080) and the speed is super fast even compared to my old laptop with the T9550. All drivers installed flawlessly on windows 7 ultimate from the CD. One quirk is that the bluetooth module is off upon boot up no matter what so you have to turn it on everytime the PC boots up, there might be a bios setting to change this I haven't looked yet.

Pics, bench screen shots, overclocking and such to come.

[Maverick494]

laptop recv'd as of 1PM. A quick down and dirty bench with 3d mark vantage, no O/C, no tweaks yielded an 8220 score. Comparing that with my old laptop with the P8600 and an 9800M GTS that scored 3412 I'd say this thing is doing very well.

First impressions: It is lighter than I thought, the keyboard is sweet and easy to use, the display is awesome (upgraded to the 1920x1080) and the speed is super fast even compared to my old laptop with the T9550. All drivers installed flawlessly on windows 7 ultimate from the CD. One quirk is that the bluetooth module is off upon boot up no matter what so you have to turn it on everytime the PC boots up, there might be a bios setting to change this I haven't looked yet.

Pics, bench screen shots, overclocking and such to come.

So after playing and searching, I have yet to find a utility to overclock the i7-720QM that I can actually get my hands on. Supposedly the E-leet utility from EVGA works to some degree or another. I have to get a hold of my buddy and see if I can get him to download it for me and send it over for testing.

So now meat and potatoes:

After finding a GPU tweaking tool I bumped the GPU up some and ran a bench and came out quite a bit better than the stock run: 8917 up from the earlier 8220. I would have to guess that had I been able to bump the i7 and I had actually set my graphics to their lowest settings I probably could hit about 9500.

WoW plays smooth as butter. 30+ FPS in Dal @ 1920x1080 Ultra settings. I am still downloading MW2 and ST:O, I'll let you know how those play.

Overall impressions:

The finish on the laptop is matte, so it doesn't really pick up finger prints like a shiny plastic. The screen is absolutely gorgeous and I would say it looks as good, if not better, than my 42" plasma TV. The keyboard is very nice, keys aren't too hard to press or reach and they aren't too soft so that even the slightest brush makes you type a key. The fan noise is quieter than I expected, unless you get a very heavy load on it and then you can hear the fans actually running up if you are in a room without too much going on, but turn on music/game sounds/what not and you probably won't even notice it. Like I mentioned in my previous post the laptop is a lot lighter than i thought. The placement of the I/O ports like USB, Firewire, HDMI, etc. are all quite good. Unless you have a super long USB item to plug in the use of both of these side ports even when using a mouse should be no problem and for the longer items, like thumb drives, you can use one of the two in the rear.

Wifi reception is awesome and the speed is right up there. Oddly enough this machine even includes a dial up modem, so for those real road warriors that are out in the boonies with only dial up internet access this machine has you covered (or more realistically if you wanted to send a fax via a phone line).

I haven't had much chance to test the speakers yet, but from what I could tell from the brief period they were on, they were ok. I mean they are laptop speakers, so don't expect a dolby digital 5.1 surround sound experience ok. They get loud enough for the average person to think they are a bit loud. These speakers should work fine for your everyday music and streaming/movie watching needs.

Bundled software: As I mentioned previously all the drivers bundled installed flawlessly under windows 7 ultimate. This machine also came with PowerDVD suite by cybermedia, nice bonus and hopefully it will play blurays should I ever decide to upgrade the drive in this machine.

I don't use the touch pad because I have a bluetooth mouse. The brief time I used it durning install it was very responsive and the buttons are very reachable. It is small enough to not really be in the way of using the keyboard, unless you have some spectacularly huge hands. The fingerprint reader is a sweet addition. Once you get it setup all it takes is the swipe of any registered finger print to log the computer on. Is this OMG important? not really, but hey it saves you the typing of the password.

I have yet to use the webcam and I don't even begin to know where the built in mic is, but I will let you know ASAP about these.

All-in-all sager has delivered one heck of a great laptop in the 15" screen range. I can only imagine the 8760 is as good in the 17" screen range.

[jbermi]

Pictures or it never happened. :laugh: I am rather curious since I am gonna get one, too.

[Maverick494]

Pictures or it never happened. :laugh: I am rather curious since I am gonna get one, too.

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/1465/desktopbench1.png

[jbermi]

Maverick, So, now that you have had it for a few days, any more impressions, concerns, etc.? what was in the box? included software/bloatware? etc.

i have an anti virus program already (still have a year left on my subscription with trend micro) and a version of roxio creator 10 for burning stuff. and an unopened copy of ms office (advantage of ordering 2 identical dells)...corel paintshop pro x2 should work on win 7, right?

[Maverick494]

Maverick, So, now that you have had it for a few days, any more impressions, concerns, etc.? what was in the box? included software/bloatware? etc.

i have an anti virus program already (still have a year left on my subscription with trend micro) and a version of roxio creator 10 for burning stuff. and an unopened copy of ms office (advantage of ordering 2 identical dells)...corel paintshop pro x2 should work on win 7, right?

So I have had this thing a while now. This is a great laptop, my laptop came with no OS because I already had 4 copies of Win7 (3 Home premium and 1 Ultimate). I put Ultimate on it, used the driver CD that came with it which worked flawlessly for all devices, and put Avast! free on it. It comes with PowerDVD which I also installed.

I have JASC Paintshop Pro 9 and it worked fine for me under Win 7. I have MS Office 2007 H&S that is on here works fine.

The box will have a business style carrying case, the laptop, power adapter, 2 CD's and warranty paperwork.

My initial impression of this thing were all correct. This is an awesome laptop for the price.

I also got the Cat 10.3 drivers for the HD5870 and pushed the card a little more and lo and behold I broke 9K on 3D mark vantage, and by broke 9K I mean I really broke it (http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/4564/desktopbench2.png). That is nearly 500 marks more.

I am still searching for a utility that will allow me to overclock the CPU for benchmarking.

My only one concern is that I have not yet established if this model has only one hard drive slot or if there is in fact two. Its not a huge concern because at this point I have a hard time even scratching the stock 320GB drive space, but if I ever wanted to play around with SSD it could be. Though the solution to that may be a PCI-E SSD drive if it has a free slot for that.

For those that care here is the link to the Cat 10.3 Drivers (http://netload.in/dateibm43WJExSF/ATI_Win7_Vista_Catalyst10.3_Preview.exe.htm)

[Maverick494]

And another bump up in score breaking 9500 marks. (http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/406/desktopbench3.png)

[kingtz]

And another bump up in score breaking 9500 marks. (http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/406/desktopbench3.png)


Holy hell, that is awesome! Especially since you're getting 9.5K+ with just stock components. How have you fared for 3DM06?


PS. 9.5K+ on Vantage is definitely signature worthy! :)

[Maverick494]

Holy hell, that is awesome! Especially since you're getting 9.5K+ with just stock components. How have you fared for 3DM06?


PS. 9.5K+ on Vantage is definitely signature worthy! :)

Honestly I haven't downloaded 3DM06 and tried it. FTR the video card is not stock clocks in the 9500 score, but the CPU is. The gpu was at 830/1160.

[kingtz]

Ah ok, now I see the OC tool on the right. Still great results!

Also, what kind of temps were you getting with the 9.5k score?

[Maverick494]

Ah ok, now I see the OC tool on the right. Still great results!

Also, what kind of temps were you getting with the 9.5k score?

Good question I forgot to have GPU-Z up. I will probably bench it again soon and I'll let you know. The fans were definately running hard, but not totally full out the entire time because there were a few times when I would hear them spin up faster.

[Maverick494]

Holy hell, that is awesome! Especially since you're getting 9.5K+ with just stock components. How have you fared for 3DM06?


PS. 9.5K+ on Vantage is definitely signature worthy! :)

Back and by demand I give you:

3DM06 Scoring 13316 (clocks at 830/1150) (http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/5450/desktopbench4.png)

for whatever reason the memory clock at 1160 locked up the PC on the 3rd GPU test under 3DM06 so I reined it in a little.

Imagine the capabilities of this machine with the i7-720 overclocked even modestly to say 2.0-2.2GHZ

[McDaddy]

Nice score man :)

[simprog1700]

Haven't found any way to overclock this thing yet............

[Fingersniffer]

Haven't found any way to overclock this thing yet............

You probably wont, most laptops have their BIOS locked by the MFG to prevent OCing and burning up your computer.

[Maverick494]

You probably wont, most laptops have their BIOS locked by the MFG to prevent OCing and burning up your computer.

Actually there is some success already by using EVGA Eleet utility to do it from within windows, but its hit and miss. I promise you that someone that wants to overclock their laptop that has more time and programing experience than I do will write a program to do this eventually.

[bill_rizer]

Just got my laptop yesterday. It is a beast! I played for like 5 hrs staright yesterday....didn't get heated at all..
I got the one with the ATI 5870 GPU. I was wondering if i should update the graphic drivers for the card to improve the performance..
i got them from here..
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx
windows 7(64 bit)--> mobility radeon series-->5000 series..this it what it says..
Option 1 - Full Software SuiteNameFile SizeRevision NumberRelease
DateDownload
LinkCatalyst Software Suite68.7 MB10.33/24/2010should i install them?

[bill_rizer]

do send me a private message, if its off topic..

[Maverick494]

do send me a private message, if its off topic..

Not off topic at all. The cat 10.3 release from AMD is outstanding and I highly recommend that you do install it.

[TheCrazyCanuck]

*edit: oops wrong topic section (I have the 870CU version) *

[TheCrazyCanuck]

*edit: oops wrong topic section (I have the 870CU version) *

[tonys]

Just received it yesterday. Installed Win 7 x64 Ultimate and am in the process of installing s/w and transferring data from my old Acer Travelmate which treated me well for years.
I got the 1080 screen and ATI GPU. Screen looks great and I like the fact that the back ports are not behind a flip-down door like some other Clevo's but would have liked an RGB LED screen and back-lit keyboard.

Tony

[Token]

I received mine recently.
720, 4gm, 5870, 1080

No dead pixels and the screen is WAY brighter than any laptop i've seen before. Runs everything perfect and never gets hot, hell it barely shows any signs of warmth at all unless you put your hand behind the exhausts. After a few hours of 25 man raiding on ultra settings the desk on which the laptop is sitting is near room temperature, amazing! Also, Xotic were excellent customer service.

[Reed]

I noticed on Sager's site that the listing for 6GB Ram is NOT Dual Channel, with 1x4GB and 1x2GB SODIMM, however, Xoptic PC lists "6,144MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)." That would require 2x3GB modules...

I'm just curious if anyone could confirm which configuration they got.

[ishmaeldb]

I got my 8690 the other day and I have to say it reminds me of when they used to stuff a v-8 into a pinto.

The laptop starts to thrum and I think its going to start hovering over the table.

I guess I do have a worry and that it seems loud. When the drives are processing or what have you.

Has anyone else noticed or thought it was too loud. It was supposedly checked before shipment, and it seems to work great.

Thanks
ishmaeldb

[Maverick494]

I got my 8690 the other day and I have to say it reminds me of when they used to stuff a v-8 into a pinto.

The laptop starts to thrum and I think its going to start hovering over the table.

I guess I do have a worry and that it seems loud. When the drives are processing or what have you.

Has anyone else noticed or thought it was too loud. It was supposedly checked before shipment, and it seems to work great.

Thanks
ishmaeldb

it only gets "loud" IMPO when it is at 100% fan speed. Then again I am used to desktops with multiple fans 120MM+ in size. I also tend to have a lot of background noise.

[Reed]

Yeah, loudness is pretty subjective. If the fans aren't grinding or making odd noises there probably isn't a problem. If you want to be sure, download a temp monitoring program (like CPUID HWMonitor) and make sure it isn't getting too hot.

[Aragog]

Yeah, loudness is pretty subjective. If the fans aren't grinding or making odd noises there probably isn't a problem. If you want to be sure, download a temp monitoring program (like CPUID HWMonitor) and make sure it isn't getting too hot.
I had one for two weeks and I can tell you its damn noisy this thing. Also reviewed in some places in the internet.

[NateZ]

Hmm -- my NP8690 is very quiet. As in, I had to check that it was still powered on. Only thing that makes noise on it is the blu-ray when it spins up to max.

[mangbhoy]

Any UK owners here?

This is my first customised gaming laptop and honestly I'm nervous and anxious. :eeek2:

I'm patiently waiting for my payment to come through. I'm also kinda nervous because I'm risking having to ship the unit here in England and hopefully when the unit arrives it will be without problems ... I choose to go with XoticPC as they have a competitive price for the Sager8690 compared to UK resellers.

I know that there's no exact number of days 'til the unit arrives but can anyone give a rough estimate assuming that XoticPC confirms my payment and starts building the laptop?
Oh yeah, and what are the potential upgrade options for this unit?
I've maxed out the memory on my purchase so I'm guessing:
1.) Hard drive, 2.) Video card and 3.) Processor right?

Cheers! :biggrin:

[Token]

Any UK owners here?

This is my first customised gaming laptop and honestly I'm nervous and anxious. :eeek2:

I'm patiently waiting for my payment to come through. I'm also kinda nervous because I'm risking having to ship the unit here in England and hopefully when the unit arrives it will be without problems ... I choose to go with XoticPC as they have a competitive price for the Sager8690 compared to UK resellers.

I know that there's no exact number of days 'til the unit arrives but can anyone give a rough estimate assuming that XoticPC confirms my payment and starts building the laptop?
Oh yeah, and what are the potential upgrade options for this unit?
I've maxed out the memory on my purchase so I'm guessing:
1.) Hard drive, 2.) Video card and 3.) Processor right?

Cheers! :biggrin:

I'm in the UK and recently got mine. They shipped it about 3 days after confirming payment, it arrived less than a couple of days later. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the laptop or Xotic pc, but I will say that UPS hit me with an additional 197 pound tax bill at the door.

[mangbhoy]

I'm in the UK and recently got mine. They shipped it about 3 days after confirming payment, it arrived less than a couple of days later. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the laptop or Xotic pc, but I will say that UPS hit me with an additional 197 pound tax bill at the door.

Oh WOW! :eek: 197 pounds? Did you have to pay by cash or debit card? I assume you had to wire transfer you payment as well? Now, this sort of makes me want to rethink about my purchase ...

But, overall, do you feel that it was totally worth it?

[Token]

Oh WOW! :eek: 197 pounds? Did you have to pay by cash or debit card? I assume you had to wire transfer you payment as well? Now, this sort of makes me want to rethink about my purchase ...

I wire transferred to xotic but the tax bill had to be cash on delivery.

I feel very happy with this purchase, probably because the laptop is so awesome. It runs games at 1080p and never seems to get any louder or hotter, it's just a beast.

[mangbhoy]

I wire transferred to xotic but the tax bill had to be cash on delivery

Hopefully you were very happy with the order?

[mangbhoy]

I wire transferred to xotic but the tax bill had to be cash on delivery.

I feel very happy with this purchase, probably because the laptop is so awesome. It runs games at 1080p and never seems to get any louder or hotter, it's just a beast.

I'm glad to hear that :D I'm willing to pay anyway, as long as I don't encounter any problems since it's going to be a HUGE HASSLE to have to send the laptop back and forth for repair. That's my main fear anyways :)

[mangbhoy]

I wire transferred to xotic but the tax bill had to be cash on delivery.

I feel very happy with this purchase, probably because the laptop is so awesome. It runs games at 1080p and never seems to get any louder or hotter, it's just a beast.

By the way, did you get a UK adapter for the laptop? If not, where did you get the socket adapter?

I have a Targus power adapter with interchangeable plugs. Does anybody have an idea which plug heads are compatible with the unit? Otherwise I have to do this myself.

[mangbhoy]

Yessss!!! It's finally here! And I'm writing this post after hours of transferring files, installing software and checking out everything that's so good about a Sager laptop. Wow, every penny saved for buying this piece of equipment is truly worth it!

Okay, it's not the best looking laptop around but I didn't buy this for the looks in the first place - nevertheless the laptop does feel very sturdy and everything works as it should be. It's love at first sight :) I really hope that this new relationship will last over a long period of time :D

I want to say thanks to XoticPc as you have impressed me on your excellent service and will definitely buy my next laptop with you. I hope that the support will be as excellent or even better than the sales experience.

I'm just so psyched that I won't spend any more time on the forums for a while :) I was taxed 183GBP though >.> but what the heck, it's still cheaper than what other retailers offer, plus you have more options, plus the great service.

I'm just ecstatic about my new laptop!!! Thank you!

[thirstyzlx]

Hey, I just got my 8690 days ago, the cpu+video card I chose was i5 520+5870(though about i7, but worried about the heat prob). I wonder what is the temp of your cpus and video cards when you are surfing the internet and playing game?

Mine is CPU: Around 52-62C at normal, 65C+in game
GPU: 52-57C at normal, 60-78C in game
It that normal or it's a bit high?

Please show you temps~thanks~

[Maverick494]

Hey, I just got my 8690 days ago, the cpu+video card I chose was i5 520+5870(though about i7, but worried about the heat prob). I wonder what is the temp of your cpus and video cards when you are surfing the internet and playing game?

Mine is CPU: Around 52-62C at normal, 65C+in game
GPU: 52-57C at normal, 60-78C in game
It that normal or it's a bit high?

Please show you temps~thanks~

there is no heat problem with the i7, especially if you remove the black sticker covering the air vent under the CPU fan.

I have an i7-720 and the 5870.

My CPU: 48-52C normal, 63-65C in games
GPU: 47-50C normal, 72-77C in game

your temps seem to be fine.

[thirstyzlx]

thanks~ I was worried about the head of 5870 so much that I set the clock of GPU and video memory to 500MHz and 600MHz, so that the temp can be kept under 50C normal..when I play game..just restore the default setting. So bad the GDDR5 cannot change the clock automatically....haha

[Comatoast]

Hello, I am thinking about buying the NP8690, but I have a few questions I can't find the answers for.
First, I will be attending the a university in Scotland next year, but will buy it stateside, as I live here. Does the Sager have an appropriate power supply, and will I only have to buy an outlet adapter?
Second, I don't plan on buying an OS as I can order one using the student discount for $30(ish) from Microsoft, but with just the stock drivers will I be able to access and download the W7 file?
Third, not a question, I have heard so many positive reviews of this website, I look forward to doing business with XoticPC.
Thanks in advance,
Toast.

[thirstyzlx]

Maverick494 (http://www.xoticpcforums.com/member.php?u=13214) :
Thanks, i had removed the stiker, now the cpu is under 43C!

[Maverick494]

Hello, I am thinking about buying the NP8690, but I have a few questions I can't find the answers for.
First, I will be attending the a university in Scotland next year, but will buy it stateside, as I live here. Does the Sager have an appropriate power supply, and will I only have to buy an outlet adapter?
Second, I don't plan on buying an OS as I can order one using the student discount for $30(ish) from Microsoft, but with just the stock drivers will I be able to access and download the W7 file?
Third, not a question, I have heard so many positive reviews of this website, I look forward to doing business with XoticPC.
Thanks in advance,
Toast.

You will need to get the outlet adapter or find out if Xotic can sell you an overseas 220 capable power cable (don't know if they do this or not), the power brick itself is fine up to 240V so all you need is the different cable that connects the supply to the wall.

The laptop comes with a driver CD, so any drivers not provided by windows 7 stock are available on that. The thing is the laptop comes without an OS unless you order it with one so the only way you are going to be able to get windows 7 downloaded is by using another PC to download it and then install it on the 8690 if you don't have Xotic install one.

Xotic is fantastic and I would recommend that everyone in the market for a higher end laptop shop here.

[Comatoast]

Sweet! So I will just need an adapter for the plug as I thought?

So, if I download windows seven on another computer, do I write it to a disc and load it onto the sager? how would I go about this?

[Maverick494]

Sweet! So I will just need an adapter for the plug as I thought?

So, if I download windows seven on another computer, do I write it to a disc and load it onto the sager? how would I go about this?

Yes. More than likely the download will be a .iso file. You can use a program (like Nero Burning Rom, though there are others) to take that image file and burn a bootable install disc. You would also be provided a serial number, likely in an email, after you purchase win 7. Using the burned install disc and that serial key you would install the OS on the Sager.

[Comatoast]

Sweet, that seals it. soon as I have the 1300ish for the laptop and upgraded screen, i'm ordering.

[mangbhoy]

there is no heat problem with the i7, especially if you remove the black sticker covering the air vent under the CPU fan.
I have an i7-720 and the 5870.
My CPU: 48-52C normal, 63-65C in games
GPU: 47-50C normal, 72-77C in game
your temps seem to be fine.

I also have the i7-720 and 5870 and also running with the same temps as Maverick494 :D

[mangbhoy]

Sweet, that seals it. soon as I have the 1300ish for the laptop and upgraded screen, i'm ordering.

Don't forget to compute the 17.5% VAT as you'll have to pay import tax COD within the UK.

[Comatoast]

Don't forget to compute the 17.5% VAT as you'll have to pay import tax COD within the UK.

I live the States, and will order in the states, I'm just going to the UK for college =)

[asperi]

are there more then one owners lounge for the Sager NP8690? Sorry if this gets double posted.
All I am wondering is if the Sager NP8690 with the HD 5870 can output though the HDMI and the VGA at the same time, possible with ATi's "Eyefinity" ..or if you know of a set up that can. Sounds like the Envy 17 can and the Asus G73 can. Any others, and anyone done it while a Matrox TripleHead2go is in use? Thanks!

[Maverick494]

are there more then one owners lounge for the Sager NP8690? Sorry if this gets double posted.
All I am wondering is if the Sager NP8690 with the HD 5870 can output though the HDMI and the VGA at the same time, possible with ATi's "Eyefinity" ..or if you know of a set up that can. Sounds like the Envy 17 can and the Asus G73 can. Any others, and anyone done it while a Matrox TripleHead2go is in use? Thanks!

I haven't tested this yet, but it should be able to use the HDMI and DVI-D out at the same time. Unfortunately I don't have two TV's or a monitor and TV available to test it on atm.

[asperi]

I haven't tested this yet, but it should be able to use the HDMI and DVI-D out at the same time. Unfortunately I don't have two TV's or a monitor and TV available to test it on atm.


Thanks a ton maverick! would really love to find this out. so you have "Eyefinity" with your 5870 on a NP8690? how do you like that 8690?

thanks! cheers

[Comatoast]

Is the three year warranty global? or only the country you order in?

[Maverick494]

Ok two new updates:

3D Mark Vantage score highest 9722 now with 870/1150 clocks on the GPU. I still haven't been able to find the time to try and figure out which clock generator this motherboard has to use soft FSB in order to allow overclocking the CPU, I might get there one day we'll see.

Also I just picked up a Panasonic UJ-240 bluray drive for this machine. The front bezel and rear mounting bracket are an easy change out and the drive fits flawlessly. The PC recognizes it no problem. The drive is like 1 MM longer than the standard one but that doesn't seem to matter.

[Maverick494]

Thanks a ton maverick! would really love to find this out. so you have "Eyefinity" with your 5870 on a NP8690? how do you like that 8690?

thanks! cheers

I never did get back to you here with my test results. In order to use eyefinity you must have a DVI, HDMI, and a display port output. This laptop only has DVI and HDMI with no display port out. This limits the outputs to two screens. That means Laptop display + DVI OR Laptop+ HDMI OR DVI + HDMI.

I do not have any idea if you could self add a display port out and mod the laptop and case to let you use the eyefinity function, but even if you could it would very much void the warranty so it would be something that I would not test until it is out of warranty and by then you probably will be able to get a laptop with the functionality you want anyway.

[mangbhoy]

It's been a month of joy with MY NP8690 :D The manufacturing and shipping wait was worth every agonising second!

Haven't got any problems so far and everything works (touch wood). At this point in time, I really really want a battery for this machine that'll last at least two hours unplugged.

I've been playing/played the following games VERY smoothly:
GTA IV and EFLC, AC 1 and 2, Mass Effect,
NBA 2K10, Pro Evo 2010, Dirt 2,
and a couple of emulators (nullDC and pcsx2)

I've also installed Catalyst 10.5 and well ... I can say that it works :D I don't see any significant improvements in performance and I suppose proper tests would deal with that.

I can't put all my happiness into words :D

[ray040613]

Small question on the back panel of the Notebook, why is that sticker even there in the first place?

[Maverick494]

I am not really sure, I guess the theory might be that at low speeds it helps keep dust out and then when the fan cranks up it lifts the center enough to allow enough air flow, but I clean my laptop at least monthly anyway so I just took it out and dropped about 3C idle and about 5C max temp.

[mangbhoy]

Anyone here using a 160W power adapter? I was wondering where you can buy one of these? And does XoticPC sell any?

I've poked around NBR and it seems that 120W is sufficient and 160W would be slightly advantageous - any thoughts?

[amdolev]

I downloaded the Final Fantasy XIV benchmark today, as I'm really anxious to play the game already.
My configuration is with the 820, 280GTX, 4GB 1333, 7200RPM HDD, win7 HP - 64bit

You can have do the benchmark at 1920X1080 or 1280X720 and the score is 0-8000.
amazingly enough (since i'm used to seeing this laptop performs top-notch on latest games), i scored only 2850 in LQ mode and a measly 1650 in HQ mode. basically is tells me that: "Capable of running the game, but will experience considerable slowdown. Adjusting settings is unlikely to improve performance". in the LQ i'm just "standard".

Could it be only my rig?
can anyone else try?
http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/media/benchmark/eu/index.html
maybe if you have a powerful desktop you could see if there's a significant increase.

[Maverick494]

its the 280 GTX. I ran it with the 5870 and scored 3397 LQ and 2087 HQ.

[amdolev]

uh... lol...
and they say it's nvidia optimised....
good thing i never listen to publicity crap.

at anyrate, just wondering: does the 480GTX use the same MXM interface as the 280GTX? anyone has any idea if it'll fit and how much it should cost the single part?

[Maverick494]

As far as I know you can get a GTX480M in MXM III, but the biggest problem I can see is A) Price: The 480M is probably like $1000 just for the card itself and B)Cooling: The GTX 480M requires a massive amount of cooling, so there is no way to know if the cooling in a 15" laptop is enough for the 480M.

So far the smallest laptop chassis it comes in is like 17.3"

also thus far I can't find anyone that sells just the GTX480M yet.

OH and one more thing: There is no proof that the GTX480M is really all that much better than the 5870M from ATI. As a matter of fact it may prove to just match or in some cases barely beat it. For the cost, it simply isn't a good value in my book.

[mangbhoy]

Anyone here using a 160W power adapter? I was wondering where you can buy one of these? And does XoticPC sell any?

Does anyone have info on this?

I downloaded the Final Fantasy XIV benchmark today, as I'm really anxious to play the game already.
My configuration is with the 820, 280GTX, 4GB 1333, 7200RPM HDD, win7 HP - 64bit

My system scored 3366 on Low Res, 2113 on High res :D I was kinda disappointed myself but then again I guess it's too early to really say. Plus the benchmark plays smoothly so it's not too much of a bother to me. For all we know, Square-Enix might change their scoring upon release.

[Maverick494]

Anyone here using a 160W power adapter? I was wondering where you can buy one of these? And does XoticPC sell any?

I've poked around NBR and it seems that 120W is sufficient and 160W would be slightly advantageous - any thoughts?

Mine is 120W, but this adapter (http://www.unitedsale.com/LI-Shin-Genuine-Original-0226A20160-20V-8A-160W-55mm25m-AC-Adapter-For-JETTA-N755SI4-Uniwill-N755SI4-Series-and-more-76-011160-5A_p_713.html) appears to be the 160W adapter by the same company.

It should work fine since it is still 20V it just has more amperage available. It might be worth a try since my 120W gets all kinds of hot.

[mangbhoy]

Mine is 120W, but this adapter (http://www.unitedsale.com/LI-Shin-Genuine-Original-0226A20160-20V-8A-160W-55mm25m-AC-Adapter-For-JETTA-N755SI4-Uniwill-N755SI4-Series-and-more-76-011160-5A_p_713.html) appears to be the 160W adapter by the same company.

It should work fine since it is still 20V it just has more amperage available. It might be worth a try since my 120W gets all kinds of hot.

Thanks Maverick, I was looking for a spare and thought of getting a 160W one then making my current 120W as a spare. I move my power adapter every now and then so as not to accumulate heat below it.

Cheers for that!

[Arious]

Does anyone have info on this?



My system scored 3366 on Low Res, 2113 on High res :D I was kinda disappointed myself but then again I guess it's too early to really say. Plus the benchmark plays smoothly so it's not too much of a bother to me. For all we know, Square-Enix might change their scoring upon release.

Reading this just now saddened me :[

I ordered my 8690 on the 7th, right about the same time the 1080p monitor and 285m went on backorder apparently hahaha, horrible timing on my part.
Anyway it just entered Phase 2 yesterday so I have high hopes on receiving it this coming week, it'll be my re-entry into pc gaming, my old XPS kicked the bucket in 07' and since then I haven't had the spare cash to invest into a computer, been grabbing friends old dying ones so I can stay active online.

The reason I choose now to order was pretty much the coming release of FFXIV, I was an FFXI player and I can't wait to get back into a serious MMORPG. Hopefully the 285m and 8gb of RAM will help me score better, but we'll see if the i7-740QM can keep up...

[Arious]

Just received my Sager...and I'm loving it!

[simprog1700]

Rec'd my 8690 and still love it!!!!

[mangbhoy]

Reading this just now saddened me :[

I ordered my 8690 on the 7th, right about the same time the 1080p monitor and 285m went on backorder apparently hahaha, horrible timing on my part.
Anyway it just entered Phase 2 yesterday so I have high hopes on receiving it this coming week, it'll be my re-entry into pc gaming, my old XPS kicked the bucket in 07' and since then I haven't had the spare cash to invest into a computer, been grabbing friends old dying ones so I can stay active online.

The reason I choose now to order was pretty much the coming release of FFXIV, I was an FFXI player and I can't wait to get back into a serious MMORPG. Hopefully the 285m and 8gb of RAM will help me score better, but we'll see if the i7-740QM can keep up...

Don't fret, as I've heard rumours that the "solution" to get better benchmarks for FFXIV was to get an SSD! It does make sense though.

Just received my Sager...and I'm loving it!

Rec'd my 8690 and still love it!!!!

'grats to you both! Enjoy and take care of your investment!

[atomic_dsm]

i've had mine for a few months now and love it. for those of you that got the blu-ray option, what drive was in it? i wanted blu-ray, but couldn't afford it when i ordered.

[mrmatt]

i've had mine for a few months now and love it. for those of you that got the blu-ray option, what drive was in it? i wanted blu-ray, but couldn't afford it when i ordered.
I believe you can buy one from Xotic

[Maverick494]

i've had mine for a few months now and love it. for those of you that got the blu-ray option, what drive was in it? i wanted blu-ray, but couldn't afford it when i ordered.

I bought a panasonic off ebay and it fit just fine, just changed the bezel to the stock one.

[sxw123]

Just received my new NP 8690. I am really disappointed with the fan noise. I new there would be some, but compared to my NP 8660 the 8690 is much louder. At idle I can hear the fans whining from a room away. I am curious if there are any other former 8660 owners here who have the 8690 who could let me know if they found the difference this great, or perhaps mine is just extra loud for some reason? I understand the component difference and the need for more cooling than the 8660, but I am afraid to take the 8690 into a meeting, it woudl be so distracting.

I also think the track pad is very inferior to the one on the 8660.

(but yes, the games look awesome)

Any one have a similar comparison?

[mrmatt]

Just received my new NP 8690. I am really disappointed with the fan noise. I new there would be some, but compared to my NP 8660 the 8690 is much louder. At idle I can hear the fans whining from a room away. I am curious if there are any other former 8660 owners here who have the 8690 who could let me know if they found the difference this great, or perhaps mine is just extra loud for some reason? I understand the component difference and the need for more cooling than the 8660, but I am afraid to take the 8690 into a meeting, it woudl be so distracting.

I also think the track pad is very inferior to the one on the 8660.

(but yes, the games look awesome)

Any one have a similar comparison?
I haven't had any similar experience with my 8760 which is basically the same computer. Are you exaggerating a bit maybe? With my fans at max I can't hear them a room away! How about you take a video or something so we can hear this?

[sxw123]

I haven't had any similar experience with my 8760 which is basically the same computer. Are you exaggerating a bit maybe? With my fans at max I can't hear them a room away! How about you take a video or something so we can hear this?

well my house is REALLY quiet right now ;-)

Thats why I wanted someone who had had an 8660 to comment. I may need to get used to it.

[mrmatt]

Ahh. I wonder if your computer is like mine and the fans don't spin past 70%

[mangbhoy]

Just received my new NP 8690. I am really disappointed with the fan noise. I new there would be some, but compared to my NP 8660 the 8690 is much louder. At idle I can hear the fans whining from a room away. I am curious if there are any other former 8660 owners here who have the 8690 who could let me know if they found the difference this great, or perhaps mine is just extra loud for some reason? I understand the component difference and the need for more cooling than the 8660, but I am afraid to take the 8690 into a meeting, it woudl be so distracting.

I also think the track pad is very inferior to the one on the 8660.

(but yes, the games look awesome)

Any one have a similar comparison?

I don't think you should be bringing this laptop to a corporate meeting in the first place as the NP8690 isn't exactly made for this type of activity - I have a really cheap but good-looking Acer that I use for work during presentations and meetings which I got from a clearance sale.

It would be too much to drive a Bugatti Veyron to work :p as opposed to a sleek Merc :D, generally speaking.

Yeah, the trackpad is ... how would I say ... uh .. not very good. It slips and slides but that's just me I guess.

I don't have an 8660 so I guess my comments end here.

[powerpack]

sxw the comments tend to lean toward you have a low threshold for noise? Is it possible you have a bad fan? A fan that runs higher than needed?

How are your thermal readings? Over active fan on idle or say a bad fan out of balance makes noise? Any thoughts.

[Weegian]

Ordered mine today after months of flip-flopping between several different laptops. I ended up getting the 740, the ATI card, and the 4GB SSD option. I can't wait!

[powerpack]

The CPU and GPU I think you will like, 720 and 5870 works well for me.

[mangbhoy]

Ordered mine today after months of flip-flopping between several different laptops. I ended up getting the 740, the ATI card, and the 4GB SSD option. I can't wait!

Imo, good choice. Especially with the SSD - you just can't go wrong with that.

The CPU and GPU I think you will like, 720 and 5870 works well for me.

Amen to that!

Now, the wait ... best of luck with that! It's good training for when you want to become a dad/mom waiting for your child to be born :D I can imagine that it's a bit similar hehe

[Weegian]

Imo, good choice. Especially with the SSD - you just can't go wrong with that.



Amen to that!

Now, the wait ... best of luck with that! It's good training for when you want to become a dad/mom waiting for your child to be born :D I can imagine that it's a bit similar hehe

Yeah, the more I considered it, the NP8690 was the perfect choice. I wanted a powerful laptop as a desktop replacement, and use my iPad when I need portability. On the long and winding road leading to the decision, I considered an Alienware m11x, an Asus G51JX, an MSI, a MacBook...

I'm currently on a 2007 black MacBook, so this is going to be a huge upgrade for me. I'll be sure to come back with impressions...

[mangbhoy]

Yeah, the more I considered it, the NP8690 was the perfect choice. I wanted a powerful laptop as a desktop replacement, and use my iPad when I need portability. On the long and winding road leading to the decision, I considered an Alienware m11x, an Asus G51JX, an MSI, a MacBook...

I'm currently on a 2007 black MacBook, so this is going to be a huge upgrade for me. I'll be sure to come back with impressions...

No offense but doooooooood ... Alienware? A Mac? :P

Welcome to the Jedi class, or I daresay Jedi Council class, of laptops nyahahaha! Yoda ain't a looker but he sure kicks ass!

[Weegian]

No offense but doooooooood ... Alienware? A Mac? :P

Welcome to the Jedi class, or I daresay Jedi Council class, of laptops nyahahaha! Yoda ain't a looker but he sure kicks ass!

I know, I know. I must have been delusional.

Xotic called me today and told me the screen is on back order, so I'll have to endure another couple of days of waiting.

[powerpack]

Good choice for what it is worth. I think you will be very happy with that uber system.

[FlyingElvis]

Just picked up an 8690. I'm very happy with it, and promptly removed the black sticker covering the CPU fan. This is very strange. Any theories why they would block a vent?

[mangbhoy]

Just picked up an 8690. I'm very happy with it, and promptly removed the black sticker covering the CPU fan. This is very strange. Any theories why they would block a vent?

And I quote myself:
*************************
"On the NBR forums, there's a discussion on this. There are no definite answers but there are two, as I would say, emerging premises.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The components premise:
There was a statement from Sager that the sticker was there to distribute air more efficiently to the other components of the laptop (memory, HDD, etc) as a "low cost engineering solution".

The marketing premise:
The sticker was there as a means of product differentiation between the NP8760 and the NP8690 in terms of heating. It was put there to make the NP8760 "look good"/"have superior cooling capabilities" compared to the NP8690.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you ask me, the marketing premise seems to make more sense. I guess we'll never know ... or will we? :D
*************************

Kudos on your new baby! Take care of it and take pride in it :)

[Arious]

So I've been noticing some excess noise recently and on the forums I had read that hwinfo32 was a good prog to see fan speeds. My GPU fan is constantly running at 100% according to it, is there something software side I can do about that or is this a hardware issue that I'm going to have to ship in? I don't so much mind the noise but I am worried about the fan killing itself prematurely

[mrmatt]

Is there a video driver update that you've recently installed or something?

[Arious]

Is there a video driver update that you've recently installed or something?

I considered that, but when I reverted back to the drivers provided on the CD there was no change in fan speed.

[mrmatt]

Well thats weird. I don't really know anything about the 285, I'm sorry.

[powerpack]

Be careful trusting aftermarket applications. OK you start it sounds loud? Stress it does it get louder? It should and if you think the fans are and HWinfo was saying 100% to start HWI was wrong. The fan speed is BIOS controlled so if fan is not running at correct speed I say call about sending in. What are your temps? If temps are high on idle and fans running high that is another issue.

To really say much we need confirmation no matter what you do fans run the same and your temps, idle load.

At least some Sagers had a key (9280?) to run fans fans full all the time not sure yours does.

I would call Xotic before Sager. If a known issue and fix they would help you but if not would help getting back to Sager.

[Weegian]

Bad news, everyone! First the 1080p screen was on backorder until late last week, and then I get another call saying the hybrid hard drive is on backorder until late August, and that the shipment might not be large enough to fill all the current orders. I guess I'll continue playing the waiting game.

[powerpack]

Sorry to hear Weegian.

[mangbhoy]

Bad news, everyone! First the 1080p screen was on backorder until late last week, and then I get another call saying the hybrid hard drive is on backorder until late August, and that the shipment might not be large enough to fill all the current orders. I guess I'll continue playing the waiting game.

Ah yes, hmn ... there are many ways to skin a cat as they say. But if you'll be patient enough, I salute you! :D

[Weegian]

Ah yes, hmn ... there are many ways to skin a cat as they say. But if you'll be patient enough, I salute you! :D

Maybe there is justice in the world after all--my laptop just progressed to the elusive phase 2: custom building/testing/burn in and final Q&A!

[liv4spd]

Hi folks,

I posted a similar question over on Notebookreview but haven't received a definitive answer on it yet.

My question is this: Is the NP8690 coming with a USB 3 port now? I have read elsewhere that "The new revisions of these chassis' (8690, 8760, 8850) all have 1 USB3 port", but I can not find confirmation on this anywhere.

Any feedback would be appreciated!
Thanks

[mrmatt]

Hi folks,

I posted a similar question over on Notebookreview but haven't received a definitive answer on it yet.

My question is this: Is the NP8690 coming with a USB 3 port now? I have read elsewhere that "The new revisions of these chassis' (8690, 8760, 8850) all have 1 USB3 port", but I can not find confirmation on this anywhere.

Any feedback would be appreciated!
Thanks

Call Xotic's, help line.

[jav2008]

Hi everyone:Has anyone have the Sager Np8690 with the NIVIDA GTX460M.

[bosschex]

Hey Guys, I have a quick question...

I bought np8690 with 5870 like last December. And I just noticed that my Bison Cam is not working properly on skype. The video setting on skype won't default Bison Cam as my default webcam (like I try to save it as my default but it won't save for some reason). Bison Cam on its own works perfectly and I have the driver that sager's website have on their driver's page (So I guess the lastest?). So I was wondering anyone have the same problem as me? And how do you fix it? THX in advance

[hellge]

I am thinking of buying this laptop as well, but i d't know if my options are good for gaming. Specially the i5 processor, how does it compare to the i7? I don't have much money to spend on, so here is the stat:

- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Intel® Core™ i5-560M, 2.66-3.2GHz, (3MB L3 cache)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (Requires 64-Bit to utilize Full 4GB)
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 500GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- No Back Up Software
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- 11.1V Smart Li-Polymer battery pack 3800mAh, 42.18Wh
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler

[Maverick494]

The i5 in most usual usages is going to work just as well as an i7 and potentially in games it could be better due to the pure speed advantage.

The 5870M is probably a better choice for a gamer though. It out performs the 460M by about 15% or so.

[powerpack]

I agree, if budget i5 is fine and maybe better in some apps than i7. Yes 5870 seems to best the 460.

[gearofwar]

Hi guys , I'm looking forward to buying NP 8690 . I have a few questionns to ask before buying:
1. How long does this machine last? Considering with IC diamond and good cooling system to keep everything cool . I'm going to use it for more 5 years
2. How many years of warranty should i buy from Sager : stock , 2 or 3
3. I'm using i5 560 instead of i7 and 4gb ram instead of 6. Will i be able to upgrade later? i will upgrade graphic card too so does Toxicpc accept upgrading or Manufacturer? Sry i'm a newb with gaming laptop
I don't know if NP8690 is a good choice for gaming laptop for using more 5 years, i want something upgradable and swapable, good quality . If there is another choice , i'd like opinions from u guy. My budget is limit at 1500.

[powerpack]

gear mileage varies for all users. I still have my badass system from 2000? I dump my systems when they get slow not because they break. 5 years is likely not a problem with office apps. If you wanna have fun I can't see more than 3 years. All these systems should work for 5 years.

[gearofwar]

lol i'm not a hardcore gamer , but sometimes i need to spend 4,5 hours or more on the weekend and free times to play games . I might play fps , some RTS and TBS ..so it will last for 5 years or more? I still have 2 more questions. Can you help me out?

[hellge]

I am in between NP8690 and NP 8760 now. I saw that the NP 8760 has issue with the speaker and stuff. Is there any particular problem with the NP8690?

[Maverick494]

I am in between NP8690 and NP 8760 now. I saw that the NP 8760 has issue with the speaker and stuff. Is there any particular problem with the NP8690?

No, I have not heard of any speaker issues with the 8760 either though.

[Vertrucio]

The only speaker issue I've heard of is that in general, the speaker sound quality from the Sager laptops doesn't quite match how much these high end laptops cost.

However, it's important to note that every time I've seen this mentioned in reviews, they do state that the sound quality is the same as any other base laptop, meaning you get the mediocre laptop sound, which is still serviceable.

Now I have a question of my own: How many SODIMM slots are there in the 8690? I keep seeing discrepancies in reviews and such. Looks like there's 2 as far as I know.

[Maverick494]

The only speaker issue I've heard of is that in general, the speaker sound quality from the Sager laptops doesn't quite match how much these high end laptops cost.

However, it's important to note that every time I've seen this mentioned in reviews, they do state that the sound quality is the same as any other base laptop, meaning you get the mediocre laptop sound, which is still serviceable.

Now I have a question of my own: How many SODIMM slots are there in the 8690? I keep seeing discrepancies in reviews and such. Looks like there's 2 as far as I know.

2, at least on the one with the 5870M, I doubt it changed with the 460M model though.

[simprog1700]

I agree, the speakers are not as good as some of the Sony's or Dell's I have owned and used but they suffice. I borrowed my wife's Bose earphones recently and plugged them in.........what a difference!!! That was until she saw me using them and messing with her adjustments anyway.:(:(:cool::eek:

[hellge]

is 8690 in stock yet?

[KidDaGoat]

I have had my 8690 for about a week now and I am loving it. Much more gfx horsepower than I was expecting... I can play all my Source games maxed with an average of 80fps. Lost Planet in DX10 hangs really well too with 60fps. I haven't tried Crysis or Bad Company 2 yet but I don't see a problem with those either.


PS.... Sager's download site is SLOW!!!!

[Kaelin]

I have had my 8690 for almost a week now too. Love it. Very powerful machine. I have maxed out my games as well. I can run an oracle database along with an app server and eclipse without the slightest hint of a slow down.

One think I did have a problem with was the Digital Creativity Suite I ordered with it. I could not get the 8690 to recognize the DVD. I put the DVD in another computer and copied it out to my networked attached storage and installed it that way. I'm not sure why the 8690 had an issue with it though. I haven't had any problems with other discs I have put in it including Blu Rays.

[Maverick494]

Some new high's:

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5559/bench1031.th.png (http://img255.imageshack.us/i/bench1031.png/)

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9931/bench1031directcomputea.th.png (http://img152.imageshack.us/i/bench1031directcomputea.png/)


925/1150 clocks.

[powerpack]

Good job Mav. Mine not even close.

[Maverick494]

I think I have pushed the envelope as far as my 120W PSU will allow. It got pretty warm during this last set of tests. It might mean that 10K 3D Mark vantage is out of reach until I can get a 160W.

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/4786/bench10312.th.png (http://img714.imageshack.us/i/bench10312.png/)

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/9931/bench1031directcomputea.th.png (http://img214.imageshack.us/i/bench1031directcomputea.png/)


940/1150. There are some that claim to have gotten 900/1200, but it seems my mem caps right about 1150 - 1160. Core cap is about 940 apparently, but I might have been able to squeeze a bit more for the run to 10K if I had a bit bigger power brick.

[powerpack]

You have 120w psu? My G73 has 150w I think. Thumbs up to Sager. I have to get power direct from car batt to run in car.

[murraydo15]

Hey guys, I plan on buying my Sager next week. But I was wondering if anyone could tell me if they have videos of diy cpu/processor upgrades? I want to buy basic of the laptop because it will be good but eventually want to get the i7-640m for it and the nvidia gtx 670m but not right off the bat...Will appreciate the help.

Thank you,
-D

[ryukenden]

Hey guys, I plan on buying my Sager next week. But I was wondering if anyone could tell me if they have videos of diy cpu/processor upgrades? I want to buy basic of the laptop because it will be good but eventually want to get the i7-640m for it and the nvidia gtx 670m but not right off the bat...Will appreciate the help.

Thank you,
-D

They do sell barebacks. But its cheaper to buy whole than to upgrade yourself. Also the 670m? When it release, your computer will be obsolete and won't support it.

[Vertrucio]

Just put in my order for an 8690.

Now to find a good bag and mouse for it.

[Zhany]

Just got my 8690 Today and so far everything seems to work nicely

The screen is the most amazing screen I have ever seen as soon as I got the video drivers installed my jaw hit the floor in amazement. And the system is surprisingly quite for the amount of power under the hood. Overall i'm impressed

[Vertrucio]

So, mine is delayed due to Sager not having any on hand until Mid-November. I guess that means next week? Perhaps 2 weeks?

[ryukenden]

I'm now a owner of NP8690. Both laptop has its cons and pros. Overclocking on the sager is a bit more tricky.

[Zhany]

I'm now a owner of NP8690. Both laptop has its cons and pros. Overclocking on the sager is a bit more tricky.

If you don't mind me asking what would you say the pros and cons are specifically between the two laptops you have had?

[ryukenden]

If you don't mind me asking what would you say the pros and cons are specifically between the two laptops you have had?

This is off course comparing two similar spec.

g73jh
pros: Quite, cool temps, slimmer (better looking), 1080p looks better on 17", backlit keyboard, better cooling layout, easy to overclock, free software like blu-ray
cons: keyboard flex more, difficult to upgrade, less port

sager8690
pros: More port, easy to upgrade, fingerprint, no bloatware.
cons: Loud fans, warmer, fans become dirty faster (since its facing on the bottom as oppose to the side like g73),

Pretty much sum up the minor things because these functions very similar.

[Maverick494]

This is off course comparing two similar spec.

g73jh
pros: Quite, cool temps, slimmer (better looking), 1080p looks better on 17", backlit keyboard, better cooling layout, easy to overclock, free software like blu-ray
cons: keyboard flex more, difficult to upgrade, less port

sager8690
pros: More port, easy to upgrade, fingerprint, no bloatware.
cons: Loud fans, warmer, fans become dirty faster (since its facing on the bottom as oppose to the side like g73),

Pretty much sum up the minor things because these functions very similar.

Ryu this G73 is not running cooler than my 8690 did. It is about the same.

[tabuburn]

Ryu this G73 is not running cooler than my 8690 did. It is about the same.
The G73JH probably does not transmit heat more on the surface since it it rubber/plastic as opposed to the 8690's brushed aluminum?

[Maverick494]

The G73JH probably does not transmit heat more on the surface since it it rubber/plastic as opposed to the 8690's brushed aluminum?

maybe maybe not, I think that both machines just have really good cooling.

[Zhany]

This is off course comparing two similar spec.

g73jh
pros: Quite, cool temps, slimmer (better looking), 1080p looks better on 17", backlit keyboard, better cooling layout, easy to overclock, free software like blu-ray
cons: keyboard flex more, difficult to upgrade, less port

sager8690
pros: More port, easy to upgrade, fingerprint, no bloatware.
cons: Loud fans, warmer, fans become dirty faster (since its facing on the bottom as oppose to the side like g73),

Pretty much sum up the minor things because these functions very similar.

Thank you for the info :)

[SPTalley78]

What games are you guys playing on your systems? I've been plugging away at MW2 and now Black Ops on the PS3 for close to a year. Just got my 8690 last Friday, and passed my 4 year old Macbook down to my son. I'm finding that ArmA2 doesn't like Win 7 x64, so I'm trying to decide what other good shooter games to look at.

[Maverick494]

What games are you guys playing on your systems? I've been plugging away at MW2 and now Black Ops on the PS3 for close to a year. Just got my 8690 last Friday, and passed my 4 year old Macbook down to my son. I'm finding that ArmA2 doesn't like Win 7 x64, so I'm trying to decide what other good shooter games to look at.

Black Ops for the PC is not a bad idea. BC2 is decent. I am not a big FPS guy though slow is probably the best one to ask about them.

[KidDaGoat]

I have had my 8690 for about 3 months now and I am loving it. It actually plays some stuff better than my desktop. Temps are good and it was alot more durable then I thought it would be.

Already have about 5 LAN parties on it and it is wonderful.

I took Mav's advice and put that Intel 5300 WLAN in and that is a night and day difference.

I got a nice cooler for my machine at Microcenter and my GPU is at 65C under load and my CPU gets about 63C under load.

Playing FFXIV right now in windowed mode 1600x900 8xAA and 16xAF. Stable 35FPS.

[mangbhoy]

What games are you guys playing on your systems? I've been plugging away at MW2 and now Black Ops on the PS3 for close to a year. Just got my 8690 last Friday, and passed my 4 year old Macbook down to my son. I'm finding that ArmA2 doesn't like Win 7 x64, so I'm trying to decide what other good shooter games to look at.

I've got GTA IV & EFLC, NBA 2k11, NFS:HP, F1 2010, Pcsx2 (PS2 Emu), Bad Co. 2, TF2. Will get, Cod:BOps for Xmas.

I have had my 8690 for about 3 months now and I am loving it. It actually plays some stuff better than my desktop. Temps are good and it was alot more durable then I thought it would be.

Already have about 5 LAN parties on it and it is wonderful.

I took Mav's advice and put that Intel 5300 WLAN in and that is a night and day difference.

I got a nice cooler for my machine at Microcenter and my GPU is at 65C under load and my CPU gets about 63C under load.

Playing FFXIV right now in windowed mode 1600x900 8xAA and 16xAF. Stable 35FPS.

It should play better than most desktops :) You actually don't need a cooler, but if that floats your boat :D

Glad to hear a fellow satisfied owner :P

Ahhh ... it's been a while since my last post here

[DaBoatOfUs]

I have a question for 8690 owners that use the machine not so much for gaming, but for other purposes. (e.g. video editing, Office '07, music rendering, programming/other work-related stuff, etc.)

Overall, how would you rate the machine for non-gaming use?
Have you used it for watching and/or recording TV shows?
Is the keyboard comfortable, easy to type on - sturdy or flimsy/flexy?
And how's the webcam??? Anyone use Skype a lot w/ it? (Going to be keeping visually connected to family throughout the U.S. and I'm hoping the cam does a good job in low light, etc.)

I guess I could go on and on w/ a bunch of questions, but I won't ... so if you have any feedback on any non-gaming uses of the machine, I'd really appreciate it. :)

Thanx.

[powerpack]

OK I don't have that model so can't help but........... I grew up in Ann Arbor where are you from?

Edit: Mav might be able to help. Give him a little time.

[DaBoatOfUs]

My niece is working/living in Ann Arbor right now, she loves it, and a friend of ours is in med school at U of M.
I'm an east-sider ... St. Clair Shores. (Quite windy and definitely cold out there tonight. It won't be long before all the ice-fish'n folk are out there!)
I'm also a Notre Dame fan ... so I'm pretty much an outcast wherever I am in Michigan. LOL!

[powerpack]

What the hell the thread has not gotten much response. Both of my grandfathers went to Notre Dame. Kind of a Catholic thing. Grew up in A2 my high school girl is the chairman of the regents.

St Claire Shores? Rich boy? Bloomfield, Bloomfield hills, and all the others like Grosse Point?

Kid Rock!

[mangbhoy]

I have a question for 8690 owners that use the machine not so much for gaming, but for other purposes. (e.g. video editing, Office '07, music rendering, programming/other work-related stuff, etc.)

Overall, how would you rate the machine for non-gaming use?
Have you used it for watching and/or recording TV shows?
Is the keyboard comfortable, easy to type on - sturdy or flimsy/flexy?
And how's the webcam??? Anyone use Skype a lot w/ it? (Going to be keeping visually connected to family throughout the U.S. and I'm hoping the cam does a good job in low light, etc.)

I guess I could go on and on w/ a bunch of questions, but I won't ... so if you have any feedback on any non-gaming uses of the machine, I'd really appreciate it. :)

Thanx.

I use mine for work as well. But I mainly use Word and Excel (VBA and macros) 2010 besides my math and stats software.

Imo
1.) non-gaming is brilliant; I use this for work at average of 6 hours a day (totally plugged-in)
2.) yep, done that and I've had no issues
3.) keyboard is a hit and miss; I like the chicklet keys because they fit my fingertips; I do use another keyboard at times when I want to elevate the laptop
4.) I use Skype everyday for family and business purposes and I'm quite satisfied with the cam
5.) the number keys need to a day or two of use to get used to
6.) at 15.6", I've got more than enough screen to view my spreadsheets and websites properly

I'm quite satisfied with my investment to say the least :D Just so you know, I'm not obsessively picky with the marginal details but I do appreciate overclocking and other things to max out the performance of this machine.

[DaBoatOfUs]

What the hell the thread has not gotten much response. Both of my grandfathers went to Notre Dame. Kind of a Catholic thing. Grew up in A2 my high school girl is the chairman of the regents.

St Claire Shores? Rich boy? Bloomfield, Bloomfield hills, and all the others like Grosse Point?

Kid Rock!

Ya, maybe I'll create a new Thread for "Michiganders That Are Irish Fans!" (look for it)

And as for SCS being like those 'other' cities? HA! I wish! It's a blue collar city bordered by Eastpointe, Roseville, Harper Woods and Grosse Pointe. The ones with the $$ are the ones that actually have homes that can see the lake or have a boat waiting for them in their backyard. If I had their kind of money, then I wouldn't be so anal about picking out a laptop - I would have placed an order by now!

After reading the thread where people submit 'issues', I'm getting nervous about buying a customized one now.

[DaBoatOfUs]

I use mine for work as well. But I mainly use Word and Excel (VBA and macros) 2010 besides my math and stats software.

Imo
1.) non-gaming is brilliant; I use this for work at average of 6 hours a day (totally plugged-in)
2.) yep, done that and I've had no issues
3.) keyboard is a hit and miss; I like the chicklet keys because they fit my fingertips; I do use another keyboard at times when I want to elevate the laptop
4.) I use Skype everyday for family and business purposes and I'm quite satisfied with the cam
5.) the number keys need to a day or two of use to get used to
6.) at 15.6", I've got more than enough screen to view my spreadsheets and websites properly

I'm quite satisfied with my investment to say the least :D Just so you know, I'm not obsessively picky with the marginal details but I do appreciate overclocking and other things to max out the performance of this machine.

Thanx mangbhoy (http://www.xoticpcforums.com/member.php?u=13707),.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but your screen size isn't the 1920x1080 is it? That's one of my main issues ... how tiny is Excel, vba screen, etc. going to look with that resolution? I was hoping to get a 13xx x whatever in the 8690. I think that would work better, but I'm not sure, so if anyone has that resolution w/ the 8690, what's your take on it?

[hellge]

my order is at phase 2 now, i am just wondering when i get the laptop, what kind of thing do i need to do before playing any games or start using it? or is it reasy to use rite out of the box? (i have Win7 64-bit in it).

[jav2008]

hello: I am thinking on getting the Intel® Core™ i7-640M, but I don't know if this be enought. I will use the computer to play games, broadcast on justin.tv(maybe play and broadcast at the same time), skype, music. I know if I should go with the I7 740QM.

[Vertrucio]

Phase 2 is when they ship it to the place where it will be built, and start building it there. It's probably the longest phase other than possible phase 3, where they print/paint and attack the custom skin to your laptop.

Assume that there might be a slightly longer wait time since a lot of orders would have been placed around the after thanksgiving sales.

I'm in California, so they've shipped my laptop to their Nebraska (I think) facility to get around the high sales tax here.

[Vertrucio]

hello: I am thinking on getting the Intel® Core™ i7-640M, but I don't know if this be enought. I will use the computer to play games, broadcast on justin.tv(maybe play and broadcast at the same time), skype, music. I know if I should go with the I7 740QM.

The 640m is plenty good for a lot of games these days.

However, we're right now on the cusp of almost all games supporting quad cores and more in the industry, as almost every middleware engine now fully supports it and development cycles started with these technologies available.

Also, if you really do plan to broadcast and play at the same time, then a quad core is a must because recording video and playing games are two very CPU intensive things.

[powerpack]

hello: I am thinking on getting the Intel® Core™ i7-640M, but I don't know if this be enought. I will use the computer to play games, broadcast on justin.tv(maybe play and broadcast at the same time), skype, music. I know if I should go with the I7 740QM.640m should work fine for your stated needs. Might even work better than 740qm.

[mangbhoy]

Thanx mangbhoy (http://www.xoticpcforums.com/member.php?u=13707),.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but your screen size isn't the 1920x1080 is it? That's one of my main issues ... how tiny is Excel, vba screen, etc. going to look with that resolution? I was hoping to get a 13xx x whatever in the 8690. I think that would work better, but I'm not sure, so if anyone has that resolution w/ the 8690, what's your take on it?

If you're thinking that Excel will look smaller because of the higher resolution, I think you're getting the wrong idea. Whatever the resolution of your monitor, the view will always fit your screen and you can always zoom in/out of view. As for fonts, you can make your font bigger through Windows. Cheers!

my order is at phase 2 now, i am just wondering when i get the laptop, what kind of thing do i need to do before playing any games or start using it? or is it reasy to use rite out of the box? (i have Win7 64-bit in it).

First thing that you should NOT do is to mess around with anything first. Test whether the default configuration works - from the DVD drives to AV to networking, etc. etc. Only after checking everything then you can attempt to update drivers.

hello: I am thinking on getting the Intel® Core™ i7-640M, but I don't know if this be enought. I will use the computer to play games, broadcast on justin.tv(maybe play and broadcast at the same time), skype, music. I know if I should go with the I7 740QM.

It depends on what games you play and if your applications are optimised for quad core processors. I.e. GTA IV & EFLC plays better on quads.

If you tend to open applications simultaneously, then RAM would be the appropriate component to invest in.

[Vertrucio]

Woohoo! My laptop is now being shipped... well, to Nebraska first, then back. Hopefully it shows up next week.

[jav2008]

thanks to Vertrucio,Mangboy and Powerack for your guys imput.

Ps: YThe games I am thinking on getting are: Gta Iv and liberty city, brother an arm hell hghway and route , l4d series, call of duty modern warfare and modern warfare 2 , btf2 and btf bad company, Cod black ops, fallout3 and new vegas, batman,mafiaI and II, redfaction, James Bond Blood Stone,metro 2033,deathrising2 and many other games.

Ps Vertrucio: good luck on your pc, I hope I can get all the money by February or May.

[Vertrucio]

Just got my PC in and now I'm wondering, where the heck do a I get the latest driver for the 460M? I downloaded the NVidia 260.99 WHQL drivers from the site, they even list the 460M as a model they support in the driver notes. But, as soon as I try to install, it says no supported hardware found.

I ended up having to basically hack the .ini file in the nvidia 260.99 drivers to include an entry for my particular 460m.

Related to that, has anyone had periodical chugging with the graphics card during gameplay? I was testing Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising in ultra detail mode, it's my go to game since I play it so much. What's happening is that the screen will basically freeze, go black, then I'll see the desktop glash briefly and the game will then resume in the course of 1-2 seconds. It will happen under high loads, but doesn't seem to correspond to any particular spot. I've used a replay file of a big fight and there could be a giant fight happening, sometimes it chugs in the middle of it, but more often it's just random.

I suppose it might have something to do with my slightly hacked driver, I'll do more testing. Really hope I don't have to return this.

[amdolev]

Hi guys, it's been a while.
I got one of the first 8690 units with 820M and GTX280 (dates to Oct '09, Intel Chipset PM55). I've been thinking to upgrade my RAM from 4GB to 8GB. I looked up some info on the official manual and it says:
"Two 64-bit Wide DDRIII (DDR3) Data Channels
Two 204 Pin SO-DIMM Sockets
Supporting DDRIII (DDR3) 1333MHz
Memory Expandable up to 4GB Using
2GB DDRIII Modules"

I know this model, at least now, offers 8GB as well.
How can I tell if my laptop will actually support this?
Are there any recommended brands and specs for this upgrade?

[simprog1700]

Same boat as you are in Amdolev. Love the machine and the 280 does fine. What is the cost you are looking at to upgrade the RAM??? Also, I have never been able to get the card reader to work under Win 7, have you???

[amdolev]

Hi Simprog, I remember your purchased the machine around the time I did.
I never used the card reader, so I can't tell you if it's working or not. It's so cheap that you can always buy an external one for a few bucks, if you have the need.

Also, I live in Amsterdam, so my prices are in Euros. 2 SODIMMs of 4GB each 1333Mhz from Kingston will cost me between €100 and €120. From what I know, in the US prices seem to be the same, but in dollars. It was the main reason i bought my laptop there.

I believe I remember the specific model we bought offered with 8GB, but upgrade was around +$350. I really waiting for a long time for the prices for these SODIMMs to drop (they used to be €120 each!). I'm glad I decided to look for this info and not buy it blindly, as disappointed as I am from possibly not being able to upgrade.

I hope we'll hear form an knowledged source soon :)

[simprog1700]

Thanks for the info Amdolev!! There is 6" of snow here on the ground so the computer is getting lotsa use. Slows down in the warm weather as fishing is my real passion.

[amdolev]

Just a wrap-up of the RAM question, if you email services@xotixpc.com the serial number of your laptop and the upgrades you wish to make, they'll tell you whether it's possible or not and even double-check with the manufacturer.

So apperantly, I'm good to go for the upgrade :)

Finding a CL7 instead of CL9 from a reasonable brand is still difficult, though...
I mean, I don't care if it's ocz, kingston or corsair, but i've never heard of A-DATA and Dane-Elec...

[cptcrunchy]

Hi all haven't been around since I received my NP 8690. I'm a bit drunk, it's Christmas eve, and wanted to say my two cents. I have been a frequent viewer of the forum but never really posted. I just wanted to say that the Sager NP8690 has been nothing but spectacular since I bought it (03/2010) . I still get compliments til this day of how top notch my machine is. The NP 8690 dominates every game that I have thrown at it (TF2, BF2, L4D2, Fall Out...). I can't be more happy with the product. Anyone skeptical about buying this impressive product should look no further. I can't stress enough of how much this laptop kicks ass. Hopefully I will contribute more to the forum this coming year. I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday. Xotic keep up the good work, your customer service is phenomenal. Happy Holidays and New Year all! PEACE I'M OUT OF HERE

[mangbhoy]

Happy New Year to all! And hopefully another wonderful year of gaming goodness!

[silverstone]

Well, your Q9200 obviously performed better, but ram speed plays into it a bit as well. It's very CPU intensive, and I've seen some Q9xxx overclocked that do really well. Not sure if you can control the quad core overclocking on the 720QM. Obviously the i7 has great benefits over the regular Core 2 Quad, so for me as long as the 720QM was in the same ballpark as the Q9xxx series I'm good with it.

I would be curious to see how the 820QM stacks up. If you're interested in comparing results, you can see my thread here with a list of various processors and their benchmarks over at NBR.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=421863


I agree with you BrandonSi. I really appreciate it... I have learned something today. Thank you for the information.

[mangbhoy]

Now that we're not Sager's flagship 15.6 anymore, can someone put a list of compatible processors for us to upgrade now and hopefully in the future?

Honestly, I don't know much about processor infrastructure and all that. But am I correct in saying that NP8690 owners are limited to the Nehalem architecture processors? or is it limited to the subcategory of Clarksfield processors? or is it limited by the socket (G1)?

[simprog1700]

A list of upgrades would be great, along with how much $$$$$ to do it. I bought my 8690 in late '09 with the 280 GPU. A couple months later the 285 came out and was looking into upgrading. After looking for a chip it was very prohibitive cost wise and I am more than happy with the 280. Maybe prices have softened a bit, but I am very happy with the machine overall!!

[simprog1700]

Did everyone sell thier machines or are we yesterday's new??? lol

[Maverick494]

Did everyone sell thier machines or are we yesterday's new??? lol

You know what happened to mine.

[simprog1700]

Replaced with a faster one I hope??? Or is in the computer graveyard???

[Maverick494]

Replaced with a faster one I hope??? Or is in the computer graveyard???

traded to a G73JH and then I sold the JH and have an 8130.

[mangbhoy]

So what is the best performing processor upgrade for the NP8690?

Damn you guys have too much money on your hands!

[powerpack]

940XM.
10Char.

[cardinalflash]

Hi,

Can the NVidia 285M be upgraded to a better GPU? If so which?

Thanks,

[iNvok`X]

EDIT: wrong thread.

[Maverick494]

http://www.mxm-upgrade.com/Store_30.html

try an upgrade, not very cheap depending on what you choose to do. Apparently the 8690 will work with the 6970M and the 285M from that site.

If you have the cash maybe a 6970M is worth it.

[mangbhoy]

Happy New Year!

I don't know if anyone still has this model but there's a BIOS update from the Sager website (1.18s) / 869BV18S.zip

I want to know what the changes are to the BIOS and if this is a recommended update. It seems as if there is no documentation for this.

Does anyone know?

Also, why is the BIOS file in .iso format? I remember that there was a .exe when I performed a BIOS update before (more than a year ago).

*** Also, I haven't replaced the thermal paste since I bought it - I have AS5 on it. Is it time to replace it? Temps are still okay though.

Regards

[Maverick494]

*** Also, I haven't replaced the thermal paste since I bought it - I have AS5 on it. Is it time to replace it? Temps are still okay though.

Regards

if it ain't broke, don't fix it until it is.