Review of Clevo D901C Gaming laptop

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A little philosophy

Gaming is always a weakness of "real" man and powerful computer does it's part in transforming a boy to man with that rush of adrenaline.Not many can drive around in a Ferrari or wield a chain gun to shoot at bad guys.So our computers makes us drivers of Ferrari or a Machine gun yielding special agent killing of Aliens.After dogs,they are a man's best friend IMHO.:D

Introduction

Though the old Sager 5760 with 7950GTX wasn't a bad laptop in terms of power,the 8800GTX was a big temptation.I was hell bent on laptop than desktop for ease of portability as have to travel around a bit and it looks cool.I know laptops aren't meant for gaming,but the new ones are changing that mindset.And the new ones have a certain degree of upgrade ability.But having a gaming computer that can be carried around,well...priceless.

The options I had were Alienware M15X,Sager 5793,gateway P6860FX and Sager 9262 as I wanted a 8800 series.Alienware M15X was small 15" and portable and a god battery life in stealth mode where it switches off the 8800GTX and switches to an integrated card.But the users of those laptops found that they could only play a game for 20 minutes.After that it would get too hot and then down clocks itself.And the Alienware made the fans run faster as a fix,but I doubt if it did change a lot.Plus Alienware is pricey and the customer service is not fantastic.An 8800GTS is not very different from 8800GTX in terms of power and the price is much more attractive.The price of P6860FX is reasonable and the built quality with aircraft grade aluminum(at least external) is very good.But most of the drivers are in Vista and XP drivers doesn't work well.There are some semi working solutions,but not a complete one.So that one hung on balance.Plus my previous experiences with Sager were good and they even gave two way free shipping for RMA.So the two contenders were Sager 5793 and Sager 9262.

The 5793 is smaller than 9262 and so is easier to carry around.Though bigger than 5793, the 9262 has 3 HDD slots and a dual MXM-IV slots for graphics card in Sli.I am not a big fan of Sli setup,so that didn't excite me much.But the prospect of 3 HDD with RAID setup was good and also it was silent contrary to what most people expected.Another icing on the cake was the fact that the 9262 used desktop processors and there are guys who were able to run it with quad Q9450.So a future upgrade to a 45nm quad core peryn processor and another 8800GTX if needed helped to make the choice.If some one were to buy a Sager notebook I would recommend Xotic PC or Powernotebooks as their service is excellent.

[BREAK=Specifications]
So I sold off the Sager 5760 and added in some cash and bought in a D901C.The specs are:

-2.33GHz Intel® Core 2 Duo, 4MB L2 Cache 1333MHz FSB
-Intel® P965 chipset + ICH8R
-2GB Dual Channel DDR2 800
- 120GB Hard Disk Drive
-17†WUXGA 1920x1200
-nVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX 512MB GDDR3
-DVD±R/RW Combo drive
-Intel 3945ABG 802.11a/b/g Wireless LAN
-Built-in Hybrid Digital / Analog TV-Tuner
-Bluetooth Module V2.0
-Built-in Digital Video Camera
-Windows XP Professional with CD and Manual
-One Year Manufacturer's Limited Warranty

I got it about a week and half after I ordered it and I am skipping the packaging and things.Extended warranty is one thing I would recommend as laptops aren't easy to fix like desktops.But I had a feeling that i wouldn't keep it for long,so didn't bother with it.Vista still kills the FPS and XP is still my fav.

[BREAK=First Looks and Quality]
I took it out of the box and first thing that I occurred to me was that it was small for it's power.Its about 5.5cm thick with lid on and weights about 5.5 kg. The dimensions are 40X29.5X5.5 cm. The power adapter is the biggest I have seen till date with dimensions of 20x8x4.5. Even much bigger than the 5760.But considering that it needs power for 3 HDD and dual 8800GTX and a desktop quad processor,this can be justified.The power pin is a bit strange too and looked like the one I had with the WD Elements HDD. The picture is with a IBM Thinkpad T42.The build quality is very good and it really feels solid.



The lid was glossy and sported 3 led lights to show the status of WLAN/Bluetooth,Power and Bateery .That's very thoughtful.


The screen was bright and I didn't notice any irregular lighting.It appeared even.I didn't search for a dead pixel as a pixel in a HD screen would be unnoticeable.Not one deal/stuck pixels were seen in general usage and I wasn't interested to hunt for one.No complaints about LCD.There is also a 2.0MP camera that can be used as webcam.


The keyboard and the touch pad is laid out well.It is much similar to a full size keyboard and the keys feel solid.

There are some keyboard shortcuts to switch on/off the WLAN,Touchpad,Fan speed,LCD etc.


There are 2 buttons that can be used for games.I don't use that and suspect that the driver for that doesn't work very well as many BSOD came in after installing them.


The manual says there are 4 built in speakers.I don't know if they exist physically but the sound was the best I have heard from a laptop.The bass was good and the treble was crisp.They are good enough without external speakers.


[BREAK=Closer Views]
The front has a usual mic and headset with additional SPDIF and line in.This would be helpful to have a headphone and also the speakers.


Left side has the CRT output,S-video in,Tv in,RJ-11,RJ-45,DVD Writer,1394 port and 7in1 card reader.

The right side has 4 USB ports and they are close to each other.I wish they were spread across back or on either sides for ease of use.But they are well spaced and usable.


The back panel has a S-video,power in and a DVI.The rest is covered by heatsinks.


There are 4 vents in the base.One for the CPU,2 for the graphics card and 1 RAM.The cooling system on this laptop is commendable.The GPU never got above 60 degrees in Crysis and the CPU hovered around 40.


[BREAK=Gaming Results]
I installed Crysis with 1.2 patch,Serious Sam2,and COD 4:Modern Warfare.I hadn't finished Crysis with the old laptop and so there was a lot to look forward to.
For Crysis,Rivatuner OSD told that the FPS were between 25-45 for resolution 1024x768 and all high.When it was in 1024x768 and 2xAA the frames were 21-38.I don't see much difference with 2xAA and will switch it off for higher FPS.The gameplay was smooth and not stuttering that occurred with the 7950GTX.But as per some gamers the drivers are holding back the 8800GTX.




COD4 gave above 40 fps for 1024x768 2xAA.It’s not a very hardware hungry game.


3D Mark06 gave about 9400 with 173.74 drivers and no OC.I think the processor and immature graphics driver is pulling it down.

[BREAK=Conclusion]
Pros:
-Upgradeable to quad core peryn processor
-Upgradeable to dual 8800GTX in Sli
-3 HDD in Raid 0,1 or 5
-1920x1200 HD screen
-Programmable game keys

Cons:
-Big heavy power adapter
-No Audio DJ like in 5760
-No fingerprint reader
-USB ports too close to each other
-NO buttons in keyboard for volume control

Closing thoughts:
The pros outweighs cons and there is nothing really bad to point out.This laptop is heavily built,stable and upgradeable to make it "future proof".The skins from skinit.com can be used to give him a good look.But the glossy look is good enough for now.I would recommend this laptop to any one who is looking for a gaming laptop though a desktop is much better for gaming.

PS:I don't know if I missed out any.In game screen shots of Crysis and COD will be added in later.
 
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RAMBO29 said:
Hi
I was also interested in the 5793,but the quad core processor was one reason for this.

Do u browse notebookreviews?

Yea! i'm a member of notebookreview forums!!:D u there too btw?

I also talked to a lotta people there including Justin Nolte himself!!!(owner of xoticpc.com):ohyeah:

Initially i was looking forward to the D901C but NP5793 looked much slick!! + I've heard D901C heats up like crazy!!!

Anyways, i hope NP5793 is compatible with 9800m GTX when it is released!!! :ohyeah:

I'm surely gonna order that gpu from KMD if it is swappable(MXM IV)!!:)

I guess ours will be obsolete soon cause "Monteniva" platform is being released in June!!! It'll be in Sager's new notebook M570TU!!:(

Neways nice purchase!!:hap2:
 
Hi
I am also there also has the same review:)Same ID too:ohyeah:

He's a nice guy.I also ask him abt things at times.D901C is big compared to 5793.But I really need a quad core and I am strong too:)

The cooling system in D901C is the best after T42,if you read through reviews you will find that.Btw how many fans does 5793 has?Do u have a cooler yet?

I dnt think 9800GTX will be much different from 8800GTX.So I am not looking to it.
Eurocom says they will only ship it in June and they are famous for pushing back the dates.but I am surprised it's cheaper than i thought.

sohail99 said:
Yea! i'm a member of notebookreview forums!!:D u there too btw?

I also talked to a lotta people there including Justin Nolte himself!!!(owner of xoticpc.com):ohyeah:

Initially i was looking forward to the D901C but NP5793 looked much slick!! + I've heard D901C heats up like crazy!!!

Anyways, i hope NP5793 is compatible with 9800m GTX when it is released!!! :ohyeah:

I'm surely gonna order that gpu from KMD if it is swappable(MXM IV)!!:)

I guess ours will be obsolete soon cause "Monteniva" platform is being released in June!!! It'll be in Sager's new notebook M570TU!!:(

Neways nice purchase!!:hap2:
 
RAMBO29 said:
Hi
I am also there also has the same review:)Same ID too:ohyeah:

He's a nice guy.I also ask him abt things at times.D901C is big compared to 5793.But I really need a quad core and I am strong too:)

The cooling system in D901C is the best after T42,if you read through reviews you will find that.Btw how many fans does 5793 has?Do u have a cooler yet?

I dnt think 9800GTX will be much different from 8800GTX.So I am not looking to it.
Eurocom says they will only ship it in June and they are famous for pushing back the dates.but I am surprised it's cheaper than i thought.

Yea! mine too same ID!!:D
5793 has 2 fans! 1 for gpu (big one) nd one for the cpu(which being a penryn runs cool enough!!)

Unfortunately i didnt order any cooler with it!!:(
I'll be getting Zalman NC2000 for it next month when i'll be in Malaysia!!:)

The main prob with it is that the 200GB 7200RPM drive heats up like crazy!! after gaming for abt an hour i was shocked to see HDD temps of 58C:S

T9300 doesn't go beyond 40-42C, 8800m GTX max temp - 62C!:)
HDD - load - 55-58C!!!!!:S :(

i guess getting a cooler will solve the hdd issue a bit cause there r vents below the HDD!!:)

Yea! i heard that 9800m GTX has unlocked pipelines that were laser cut in 8800m GTX!!! so overall performance gain of abt 24%!!:(

nvidia really cr@pped up their 9 series GPUs!!!:(
nd yea! they're cheaper than 8800m GTX!!!!:S :S :D

Neways! i think i'll wait for monteniva platform 'Centrino2' to be mainstream, then i'll go for a X9000!!!:D 8800m GTX is fairly new!! so i guess it'll do for abt a few yrs!!:D
 
The D901C has 4 fans one for each graphics card one for RAM and other for CPU. That must be why it runs cooler than expected.

I dnt have a peryn processor and a quad core peryn is like $500+.So I am thinking of getting a Q6600 and modding it to 3.0GHZ.

I have a bytec cooler.It does it's part ut I dnt know if the Zalman or Vizio is better than that.May be I should get a Zalman too.How much does it cost in M'sia?It's abt $60 in here.If it's cheaper there may be I should get one from there.

58 degree is high for the HDD.Mine has never gone above 45.May be it's the cooler too.8800GTX has max temp of 62,E6650 has max temp of 42.

Abt 25% increase is worth it.But anyway the first gen of M860TU will be plagued by problems.So it's better to wait for 2nd or 3rd rev.IMHO X9000 is an over kill.You can get a cheaper T9300.
sohail99 said:
Yea! mine too same ID!!:D
5793 has 2 fans! 1 for gpu (big one) nd one for the cpu(which being a penryn runs cool enough!!)

Unfortunately i didnt order any cooler with it!!:(
I'll be getting Zalman NC2000 for it next month when i'll be in Malaysia!!:)

The main prob with it is that the 200GB 7200RPM drive heats up like crazy!! after gaming for abt an hour i was shocked to see HDD temps of 58C:S

T9300 doesn't go beyond 40-42C, 8800m GTX max temp - 62C!:)
HDD - load - 55-58C!!!!!:S :(

i guess getting a cooler will solve the hdd issue a bit cause there r vents below the HDD!!:)

Yea! i heard that 9800m GTX has unlocked pipelines that were laser cut in 8800m GTX!!! so overall performance gain of abt 24%!!:(

nvidia really cr@pped up their 9 series GPUs!!!:(
nd yea! they're cheaper than 8800m GTX!!!!:S :S :D

Neways! i think i'll wait for monteniva platform 'Centrino2' to be mainstream, then i'll go for a X9000!!!:D 8800m GTX is fairly new!! so i guess it'll do for abt a few yrs!!:D
 
RAMBO29 said:
The D901C has 4 fans one for each graphics card one for RAM and other for CPU. That must be why it runs cooler than expected.

I dnt have a peryn processor and a quad core peryn is like $500+.So I am thinking of getting a Q6600 and modding it to 3.0GHZ.

I have a bytec cooler.It does it's part ut I dnt know if the Zalman or Vizio is better than that.May be I should get a Zalman too.How much does it cost in M'sia?It's abt $60 in here.If it's cheaper there may be I should get one from there.

58 degree is high for the HDD.Mine has never gone above 45.May be it's the cooler too.8800GTX has max temp of 62,E6650 has max temp of 42.

Abt 25% increase is worth it.But anyway the first gen of M860TU will be plagued by problems.So it's better to wait for 2nd or 3rd rev.IMHO X9000 is an over kill.You can get a cheaper T9300.

Wow! 4 fans! awesome!!!:hap2:

Yea! Q6600 can do the job! or u can even go for Q9300 by adding 4k INR i.e. about $100!! (penryn will run much cooler considering the fact that we are talking about laptop cooling here!!!:) )

I dunno which one of them is better but a lotta people on notebookreview forums got their NP5793's temps down using Zalman NC2000!!

I dunno abt the prices in Malaysia, but my friend said its available there nd cheaper than on newegg!!!:D I'll tell u abt the exact pricing once i get one frm there!:)

btw here's a buyer's guide from the forums!:) - Notebook Coolers : A Buyers Guide - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion

Yea! i guee we'll wait nd see what happens to "monteniva"!!!

btw my config :-

-C2D T9300
-4096mb DDR2-667Mhz
-8800m GTX
-Seagate Momentus 200GB 7200 RPM SATA 2
-17" WUXGA screen

-extra 8 cell battery

- Targus backpack!!!:D

Truly an awesome machine!!:D

PS. I found u on NBR!!!:D - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion
 
Hi
I have e6550 for sale,I am hoping to get abt 100 for that and a Q6600 is like 190 from ebay.a Q9450 costs about 400 so price to performance wise,it's not worth it.Plus ther's a mod from Dexgo using tape to OC to 3.0Ghz.A quad 3.0Ghz laptop with 8800GTX should last quite a bit.

I couldn't find this in Singapore anywhere.
Notebook / Laptop Cooling : ModernoPC.Com, ...Premium PCs Performance Online Shop
According to this site its abt 214 in M'sia meaning about 100S$ almost 70USD.It's 58$ in newegg,so the price is not much different I think.Sadly no one them ever come to ebay either.Plz let me know how much you paid for it.

How much did you pay for the system including shipping?

Regards

sohail99 said:
Wow! 4 fans! awesome!!!:hap2:

Yea! Q6600 can do the job! or u can even go for Q9300 by adding 4k INR i.e. about $100!! (penryn will run much cooler considering the fact that we are talking about laptop cooling here!!!:) )

I dunno which one of them is better but a lotta people on notebookreview forums got their NP5793's temps down using Zalman NC2000!!

I dunno abt the prices in Malaysia, but my friend said its available there nd cheaper than on newegg!!!:D I'll tell u abt the exact pricing once i get one frm there!:)

btw here's a buyer's guide from the forums!:) - Notebook Coolers : A Buyers Guide - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion

Yea! i guee we'll wait nd see what happens to "monteniva"!!!

btw my config :-

-C2D T9300
-4096mb DDR2-667Mhz
-8800m GTX
-Seagate Momentus 200GB 7200 RPM SATA 2
-17" WUXGA screen

-extra 8 cell battery

- Targus backpack!!!:D

Truly an awesome machine!!:D

PS. I found u on NBR!!!:D - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion
 
lol! now i dunno where to buy it from!!!?:S

Anyways since i'll be going there for a vacation, i buy it there only!!(i guess):)
or maybe order via KMD!

btw my Sager cost me about INR 120k!!!
106k for the laptop nd 14k for shipping to india(shipping to NY via UPS(free:D ) + customs!!:D
-------

But, OC'ing ur CPU, wont it cause the proc to heat up like crazy!??:S

btw, i was talking about Q9300 - Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9300 processor - The Tech Report - Page 1

Q9300@ newegg - Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

------------------------

nd thanks for the link man!:) my friend told me abt a place in Kuala Lumpur
called 'Plaza Low Yat'!

He said that its a huge mall type place dedicated to IT stuff!!!:ohyeah: All of it!!!:ohyeah:

I'll surely be going there!!:ohyeah:
 
Hi
Plz let me know the price once you buy a Zalman Nc2000.I might have bought one by then though.

INR 120k is almost 2800 right?So I think it's a good price.The only problem I think is the shipping in the wild case if something pops up.Or will they pay for shippin in case of RMA?Sager did pay me shipping once.

If you read through the Clevo forum,many ppl have done it.I am still not sure about it now.But may be I will do it:)
Q9300 is a new thing to me:)It's abt 270 and a Q9450 is above 400 and a Q6600 is abt 200.May be it's better to have a Q9300 as I think now.Any way I have look more deeply into it.

Thanks

sohail99 said:
lol! now i dunno where to buy it from!!!?:S

Anyways since i'll be going there for a vacation, i buy it there only!!(i guess):)
or maybe order via KMD!

btw my Sager cost me about INR 120k!!!
106k for the laptop nd 14k for shipping to india(shipping to NY via UPS(free:D ) + customs!!:D
-------

But, OC'ing ur CPU, wont it cause the proc to heat up like crazy!??:S

btw, i was talking about Q9300 - Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9300 processor - The Tech Report - Page 1

Q9300@ newegg - Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

------------------------

nd thanks for the link man!:) my friend told me abt a place in Kuala Lumpur
called 'Plaza Low Yat'!

He said that its a huge mall type place dedicated to IT stuff!!!:ohyeah: All of it!!!:ohyeah:

I'll surely be going there!!:ohyeah:
 
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