MALIBAL Satori P170HM - 120Hz 3D Matte - i7 2760QM 3,5Ghz - 8GB RAM- GTX 560M - Intel 510 SSD

[zakazak]

Skyrim max settings
The Witchter 2 Max settings
Crysis 2 max settings
diablo 3 beta worked as well.

The only games I really play a lot:
quakelive, cs 1.6, cs source, Wolfenstein - Enemy Territory
No idea for max fps.. I set them to maximum of 120/125 to have them equal with my Hz. In the end I think you can play pretty much everything. The GPU upgrade to 580 or 485 will let you play even more

[DukeCLR]

Thanks, I'm thinking of a 6990m to save some cash but would love the 580m. I plan on playing BF3 and Skyrim for now and I want as much FPS as I can squeeze out of my budget.

Once again, nice review.

[zakazak]

Skyrim shouldn't be a problem at all. The 6990m is even more powerfull than mine. For BF3 I would go fot the 580 maybe :S

[Tes96]

Zakazak
If I order my Sager NP8170 without an operating system installed (because I already have the windows 7 install disc), does that mean that I have to manually install all the drivers myself?
If I order my Sager NP8170 with an operating system installed, will all default drivers already be installed?

Also, is there a difference between the Sager NP8170 and the Clevo P170HM? Isn't it like buying Lucky Charms at Stater Bros versus buying the generic brand at Costco? The same ingredients are in the boxes, just the name and the box are different.

Very helpful, review Zakazak. Thank you. Although I'm unclear on your "max settings" for TW2. You're not using ubersampling while playing, are you? Do you have anti-aliasing turned on or off? TW2 is the most GPU intensive game on the market right now, as far as I'm aware.

And if money is not an issue, would you suggest the nVidia 580m or the AMD 6990m to get the best gaming performance?

[zakazak]

Without OS installed. You get a driver disc with all the drivers. Or you follow this guide:
Guide for a free & awesome Windows 7 on Clevo / Sager / MALIBAL (based on P170HM)

With OS installed, all drivers will be installed as well.

Sager NP8170 = Clevo P170HM = MALIBAL P170HM. As far as I know Clevo doesn't sell directly (and if then with retarted prices). They have their resellers for that job (e.g. Sager & MALIBAL). I didn't have any problems with MALIBAL. They also offered me the lowest price and most options to customize my order.

I don't have TW2 installed anymore. I wasn't able to play it on FullHD with the highest settings (smth like super max?) but maximum was no problem (and below maximum there was medium & low).

NVIDIA 580M for sure !

[Tes96]

Without OS installed. You get a driver disc with all the drivers. Or you follow this guide:
Guide for a free & awesome Windows 7 on Clevo / Sager / MALIBAL (based on P170HM)

With OS installed, all drivers will be installed as well.

Sager NP8170 = Clevo P170HM = MALIBAL P170HM. As far as I know Clevo doesn't sell directly (and if then with retarted prices). They have their resellers for that job (e.g. Sager & MALIBAL). I didn't have any problems with MALIBAL. They also offered me the lowest price and most options to customize my order.

I don't have TW2 installed anymore. I wasn't able to play it on FullHD with the highest settings (smth like super max?) but maximum was no problem (and below maximum there was medium & low).

NVIDIA 580M for sure !

Thank you, Zakazak.
How is your keyboard? I read one review a while back that said the keys are loud when typing. And that the keyboard itself flexes a bit if you press on it in the middle. Does yours do that or is it pretty sturdy?

[zakazak]

Uhm I actually like the keyboard. If you really press hard in the middle then it will flex a bit.. but if you ever write that hard then your fingers will break anyway :P

For the loudness: Just normal in my opinion. As I normally write on a Filco with MX-Brown switches noise isn't going to bother me anyway ;D You would never disturb anyone when writing on this laptop.

[Tes96]

You would never disturb anyone when [typing] on this laptop.

Even if you're laying in bed right next to the person while they're trying to sleep?



Sounds good to me. The customization I will be choosing is i7-2960xm, 580m, 8GB 1866MHz RAM with 120Hz Matte 3D screen, and the 3yr warranty.
I did a price comparison between GenTechPC and Malibal and Malibal is $68 cheaper. And they have more accessories from which to choose.

One thing I don't like about those pictures of Malibal Satori P170HM is that ugly red screen with those giant letters saying "SATORI". Is that how it really looks when you turn it on or is that just a promotional picture?


Also, at the bottom, it says: "Your MALIBAL notebook will come with each of these free extras, regardless if you check them - except the carrying case."
And one of those FREE EXTRAS is Microsoft Windows 7 DVD-ROM. And yet eight sections above that, it has the option to deselect Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium which reduces the price by $80. Now does that mean that I can remove Windows 7 and save myself $80 and still get a free Windows 7 DVD ROM and just install Windows 7 on my own with that free dvd-rom? That information is rather misleading. Perhaps I am interpreting it incorrectly.
Thanks for answering my questions.

[zakazak]

Don't think so tbh. It also depends a lot on how hard you hit the keys. With my normal writing it is really silent. However, if I start to push them harder, then the "clicks" become noticable. All in all it still shouldn't be disturbing.

Huh ? I never read "Satori" or even "MALIBAL" anywhere on my laptop (I ordered it without the branding). So I guess those are just some promotion pictures.

Nope, it somewhere says that the Win 7 DVD won't be included if you don't select the OS. Only a Windows 7 Driver DVD will be included

[Tes96]

Do you think the "Spyder 3 Elite Professional Color Calibration w/ Profile Disc" is worth $45? I found this review and it seems like Spyder 3 is for photos and video editing but not so much gaming. Does it makes colors brighter or more detailed or something?