Sager NP5790 (Clevo M570RU) User Review

[Agent CoolBlue]

Overview and Introduction: Today I will be reviewing on the stylish Sager NP5790/ Clevo 570ru. Sager is known for making high performance laptops at reasonable costs. Clevo is the ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) that a majority of the Sager models are based on. The NP5790 is considered a Desktop Replacement notebook with its large 17’’ screen.

Now let’s move on to my specific configuration.

-17’’ WUXGA ‘’Glare Type’’ Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920 x 1200)
-Artic Silver Thermal Compound (comes standard with the 5790)
-Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 ghz w/4MB On-die cache- 800 MHz FSB
-512 MB PCI-Express Nvidia Geforce 7950GTX w/ GDDR3 (user upgradeable)
-2048 MB DDR2 667 PC2 5300 (1 SODIMM)
-160 GB Seagate Momentus 3 GB/S SATA 300 7200 RPM Hard Drive
-Internal Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR
-Built-in Intel PRO/ Wireless 4965 802.11 a/g/n
-Windows Home Premium (32-bit installed)

Reasons for Buying: I bought this laptop as a replacement for an old Dell Inspiron 4105 that I had used for 4-6 years so I thought it was about time for a successor.

Before my purchase with the 5790, I had considered a variety of laptops from the Dell XPS 1710 to the popular Alienware M9750. I ended up going with the Sager because it was much more price efficient from the XPS and the Alienware where a similar configuration would cost somewhere in the 3000+ USD range.

Where and How Purchased: I bought this notebook from xoticpc.com and with my configuration it was very close to the 2,600-2,700 range (Note: At the time of my order xoticpc.com had a Pre-Order package that came with a USB flash drive and a 100 dollar discount.) Also, they no longer have the 2 gigs of RAM (1 SODIMM) option. Just a quick comment, xoticpc.com has been there for me the whole way. I think the laptop was very reasonably priced compared to the Dell 1710 and the Alienware m9750. They were very helpful and understanding before the order, during the order, and after the order. That is something I would expect in a good business.

Build and Design: The design of the 5790 is very unique. I think the online pictures of it poorly justify it personally. I was a little skeptical about purchasing this laptop because of the orange-trim it had. Like I said the pictures online do not do a good job describing this beauty. My thoughts were changed fortunately when the laptop came in and I saw that the orange was not really the bright orange I was imagining in my head but rather a copper or burnt orange, very classy and unique.

The design of the laptop is pretty much just like a basic rectangle with an orange trim. It’s very professional; I can guarantee that to you. I can’t tell you what the laptop is made out of because I honestly don’t know but everything is built to last. The hinges are really tight and to open the laptop you have to have one hand on the inside pushing down on the base while the other hand is opening the lid.

This laptop is not made for use on your lap. Its massive weight (8.35 pounds w/ battery) and size (15.6" x 11.5" x 1~1.8") makes it so that you would be spending every minute adjusting your position so that you would comfortable. It does get pretty warm on the bottom where the battery and hard drive are but nothing unbearable. I tried pushing on the lid to see if I got ripples on the screen…nothing. I also tried pushing on the screen to see if it wobbled which would indicate bad hinges but like I said before, the hinges are solid and the laptop stood its ground.

Screen: The screen is very wide and unlike what many people think, the DPI and visibility of words, text, etc. on the screen is very visible but you always have the option of turning the DPI up. The screen is definitely bright enough for gaming, the bright toggle buttons are FN+F8 to turn the brightness down, FN+F9 to turn it up, and FN+F2 to turn off the LCD screen. I got the 1920 x 1200 resolution with the laptop (WUXGA glossy) but unfortunately it doesn’t have advanced features. The laptop does leak a little when running a dark video or game right at the very bottom of the screen but nothing that would be bothersome in the future, it’s very minimal. There is no uneven backlighting from what I can tell no dead pixels, etc.



Speakers: The speakers are located on the left and right-hand side of the laptop right next to the hinges. The sound quality is very good for a laptop especially after going into the audio software (Realtek HD audio manager) and setting the Environment to Carpeted Hallway and the Equalizer to Soft (Thanks to Gophn for pointing this out for me). The speakers are loud enough for gaming but even a cheap 2.1 setup will be better then this. I would also recommend using headphones as they are better. Just a side note, one thing that bothers me is that if you are planning to use speakers, the jack is in the very front, very inconvenient. It seems as though the designers are encouraging the use of headphones.



A video of it can be found here…be warned though, its 190 MB as I wanted the quality to be as good as possible.

-http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RXVY3L57

Processor and Performance: I am very pleased with the performance of this notebook in terms of speed and graphics. I will be providing a link of me starting it up at the end of this section. My hard drive is 7200 RPM but the 5790 is available with various 5400 RPM hard drives as well. My hard drive has a 160 gig capacity but with vista, it chopped off about 8-10 gigs after drivers and essentials. So far my laptop has never ‘’hanged’’ or take too much time when completing a task, very snappy. I play Counter Strike Source and Insurgency and I am very pleased with the performance of the video card. In my setup, I have the 7950GTX but the 5790 is now also available with the 8700GT if you want Direct X 10. Do keep in mind that we should be able to upgrade to a future video card. (MXM baby). I can play on all high settings with the exception of no AA.
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http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RXVY3L57

In-game Performance:

Call of Duty 2, 1600x1200, 4x AA, all high settings.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8J0RQ34R







Benchmarks:
3DMark06:


PCMark05:



Super-pi: 2M- 55 seconds.



Super-pi comparisons



wPrime: 32M(default) 38.459 seconds



HD Tune:



Performance:



Heat and Noise: This laptop has 2 main fans on the bottom. One is always on but once in a while the 2nd fan kicks in while it’s idle and then turns off for a bit then comes back on. It is quite annoying but nothing unbearable. Other then that no other component in the notebook produces any sound from what I can tell. The bottom does get a little warm as I mentioned before but it is safe to use on your lap, but I would still recommend using it on a solid surface. Please read my Pros and Cons that I have wrote for this laptop again as I have made a big mistake when I reviewed the fans. An unexpected factor came into play and bit me in the butt...








Keyboard and Touchpad: First of all, the Sager NP5790 has a full keyboard with a numpad. The control and FN keys aren’t switched around like most laptops so getting used to it should be a little easier then a laptop with the 2 switched keys. I had a little trouble with the Sager NP5790s keyboard at first because I am so used to having my hands on opposite ends of the keyboard. That kind of hand placement won’t work on the Sager because then I would be hitting the numpad so you would have to shift your hands slightly to the left to avoid hitting the numpad. I got used to it in a day or so though. The touchpad is very sturdy. It feels like very smooth sandpaper and has some texture. I would just like to point out that the touchpad and right palm rest tends to get a little warm. There is no flex in the keyboard whatsoever.







Input and Output Ports: For the various ports, here is a picture. 4 x 2.0 USB ports, Ethernet port, 54mm Express Card Universal Slot, etc.




Microphone and Webcam tests:
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Wireless: This laptop came with a built-in Intel PRO wireless b/g/draft-n wireless card. The wireless card is very good. I’ve been connected to my wireless router (wireless-g) for about 49 hours and it has not disconnected once. The speeds are very constant, no slowing down or anything of the sort. Good all-in-all. There is Bluetooth 2.0 built-in but I can’t comment on it since I have no Bluetooth devices.

Battery: The Sager has an 8-cell li-ion battery. I was a little disappointed at it’s measly battery life of about 1 and a half hours with small tasks like web browsing and instant messaging and about 40-60 minutes when gaming but this is pretty good for a laptop of this caliber so I am happy.



Operating System and Software: My operating system is Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit). Coming from xoticpc.com, a 32-bit and 64-bit recovery/installation CD was included with the 64-bit version installed. The package comes with the 2 OS CDs, a Driver CD for Windows XP, a Driver CD for Windows Vista, Nero 7 (with CD-key), and Power DVD. I would say that the included software is average but I am happy that they gave the latest version of Nero rather then an outdated one.

Customer Support: The customer support from xoticpc.com is excellent. They are all very professional and there are many ways to contact them (email, PM through NBR, phone-call, etc.) and you can expect a speedy reply. My experience with them has been nothing but pleasant. I have called them once after I got my NP5790 when my hard drive was a little hot on idle and a human actually picked up within seconds of my call (no machine) and answered my question in a very professional manner. I would recommend them to anyone.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this laptop is just amazing in terms of performance, looks, and quality. Everything seems to be built to last and is a good system all-around.

Pros:
• Large and Beautiful WUXGA 17’’ Screen, Very fast and speedy, can multi-task quite well.
• Powerful DX9 card (7950 GTX) but has a DX10 video card option as well (8700GT)
• Full 99 key keyboard including a 10 key numeric keypad.
• Sound quality is quite good for a laptop.
• Build quality is superb

Cons:
• Battery life is considerably low.
• If you’re planning to use speakers, the jack is in an inconvenient place.
• 7950GTX isn’t powerful enough to support its own native resolution in a game.
• One out of two fans repeatedly turns on and off while the laptop is idle or when in use.
• Fans are loud EDIT: My apologies for everyone that was worried about the fans being loud but I will amend to this statement. My microphone boost was set to 30 dB (max) and the fans were being recorded through the microphone and played through the speakers at max volume making it appear as though the fans were unpleasing but I hope that I didn't make anyone change their mind about this amazing laptop because of my stupid mistake.

-lawlz_xD

[sterben]

Great review. I have pretty much the same computer (only with 4gb RAM and vista-64) and I whole-heartedly agree with your assessments. The screen is really really nice, and for a laptop the built in sound isn't that bad either.

For completeness, though, you could add some information about the built-in camera and microphone. Also, for those that are interested, the lid has two latches. The one on the right is used to actually open it, while the one on the left is used to lock the lid down.

The outline around the keyboard and touchpad is textured, too :P

[Dodoman]

Nice review, but there's something wrong with those superpi/wprime scores. Your timings should be considerably lower.

[Agent CoolBlue]

I know, I am very dissapointed in them...

[dit_xi]

Cám ơn bạn. That was an awesome review.

[Agent CoolBlue]

thanks, I guess you saw my vietnamese book in the background haha.

[odin243]

Did you have the thread count in WPrime set to 2 under the advanced options?

[Agent CoolBlue]

yes I did.

[odin243]

Ahh, I see. Your speed in the screenshot was only 800MHz. Make sure you're plugged in and that the powersaving settings are set to give maximum performance. Also, make sure you have the CPU-Z download for Wprime.

[dit_xi]

Originally Posted by lawlz_xD

thanks, I guess you saw my vietnamese book in the background haha.

I saw your other posts. Hình bạn chụp của desktop có tên bạn ở trên đó.