Mythlogic Nyx1711 3D (P170HM3) Review

[LukeS]

Now that I've had my laptop for a little while and have been able to play around with it I decided it was time for a more thorough review than the short one that I included in my review of Mythlogic in the reseller forum upon receiving the laptop. For starters, here is my configuration:

Nyx1711 3D (P170HM3)
i7-2760
120hz 3D screen
16GB 1600mhz Patriot ram
GTX580m
240GB Patriot Wildfire SSD
750GB HDD
Blu-ray reader / DVD+RW combo drive
IC 7 thermal paste
professional monitor color calibration
Windows 7 Ultimate

Performance

I can't even begin to describe how thrilled I am with the performance of this laptop. I am used to spending around $3,000 on gaming desktops that I have built in the past, but this is the first time I have put that kind of money into a laptop. So far I feel it was well worth it. Could I have gotten better performance for the money if I went with another desktop? Of course. But now I have a gaming machine that I can easily take with me on my business trips. Also, even though I don't have as good of performance as I would of if the money was spent on a desktop I do at least have much better performance than I do with my last SLI gaming desktop that I built around 3 1/2 years ago. It's phenomenal, in my opinion, to be able to get high end desktop performance in a laptop that's only 3 years newer. One disappointment with this model was not being able to overclock it. Thankfully, I was made aware of that before the purchase so I didn’t get the 2920xm that I had originally wanted. If you desire a 2920xm or 2960xm and the ability to overclock it you MUST forego the 3D model and get just the basic P170HM. After realizing they were frying motherboards from the excessive power draw of an overclocked CPU combined with a 120Hz screen Clevo stopped offering an unlocked BIOS with this model.

First benchmark I did to test this thing out was 3dMark06. It doesn't seem to be very widely used today, but I had to do this test first just to compare my above mentioned desktop to my new laptop. As you can see in the image below, this LAPTOP scored 3,300 points higher. Wow! Many of you may not be impressed with that, but being my first gaming laptop I was blown away.




Next I ran some more recent benchmark programs.








The last test I ran was Crystal Disk Mark to check the speed of the 240GB Patriot Wildfire. I was again pleasantly surprised. There is nothing left to be wanted with the speed of this SSD. From the time Windows starts to load until it is at the logon screen is only 7-8secs. All of my databases open and work almost instantly. This thing is fast.




Another thing of notable mention is that when I turned on my PC for the first time I found a “Benchmarks” folder on the desktop. Inside of this folder were copies of all of the benchmarks, tests, and even monitor calibration that Mythlogic did prior to shipping it out to me. Maybe the other Sager / Clevo retailers do this too, I’m not sure, but being used to the way Dell and HP do things I was impressed to see Mythlogic includes all of the test results to back up their claims of stress testing and benchmarking every machine before it leaves their possession. With the approach that these guys take when building a machine you are almost guaranteed to be able to open your box when it arrives and have 0 issues. Unless of course you get the FedEx or UPS guy that’s had a bad day and just throws everything around breaking whatever is inside of your precious package. I know I, and most of you I’m sure, have had the pleasure of that particular experience at least once. On that note, even though not performance related, I want to talk about the packaging for a second. This thing probably could have been thrown around and still had no issues. The laptop was fully wrapped in 3 large terry cloths with a 4th one between the screen and keyboard, then it was wrapped and sealed in plastic. Next it was placed in a small box with those hard foam surrounds. That box was then placed inside of another box that was at least 5 times bigger and completely filled with foam peanuts. When I opened that first box I wondered if maybe they forgot to put my laptop in there as I had to scoop out a few inches of those foam peanuts before finding it. Superb packing job that I’m sure would have stood the test of the disgruntled delivery service.


Aesthetics and Usability

I’m not even sure where to begin this part of my review. Some will say it was wasted money, but I went with a full custom paint job. I wanted something that looked as fast as it actually was so I had it painted blue with some Ford GT40 inspired stripes. It turned out absolutely stunning. You would be hard pressed to try and find a smoother more mirror like finish in an auto showroom.





The only thing that I was disappointed in with the paint job was the battery. The laptop was fully disassembled obviously when they sent it to the painters, but they didn’t send the battery with it. So the entire laptop, to include the bottom, is blue except for that little black square on the bottom that is the back of the battery. I’m not too concerned with it as I don’t spend hours staring at the bottom of it, but every person that I have shown my laptop to feels the need to turn it over in their hands inspecting every side of it. Every one of them has made almost identical comments, “I really love the blue, but what’s with that black spot?” This would be the only recommendation I would give Mythlogic on things to do differently, send the battery to get painted too if someone gets a full paint job. Doesn’t have to be the whole battery even, just the backside that is visible when it’s in the laptop.

The only thing about Clevo laptops that had me worried was the keyboard. The feel of the keys, size, spacing, everything is fantastic. This is one of the best laptop keyboards I have used. The thing I feared was the 10 key. I absolutely hated the idea of having a 3 column 10 key instead of the standard layout. Now that I am used to it, I see no issues with it at all. I can add numbers to spreadsheets and databases just as fast with this as I can with my full size keyboard. There was a bit of a learning curve to get used to the new arrangement, but not as much as I had expected. I actually type things in wrong less when switching between the two 10 key layouts than I do switching from either of those to trying to dial my phone. Having the 1-9 rows in reverse order gets me almost every time I try dialing without looking at the phone first. Lol.

Battery life in this laptop isn't the greatest. On a full charge I got just under 2hrs of use before I needed to plug it in. Oh well, I wasn’t planning on using it on the go anyway and have only used it once without being plugged in and that was to test the battery life. This “laptop” will sit on my desk at home 3 weeks out of every month and sit on the desk in a hotel room the rest of the time. So the power isn’t an issue. I’ve got my phone with Netflix and Angry Birds if I find myself bored and need entertainment away from a power outlet.


Screen and Speakers

I got the 120Hz 3D screen option and I am glad that I did. Some claim that 3D is a gimmick and it’s not worth the money, but like everything in life it is all a matter of opinion. Not using 3D, just the 120Hz refresh rate, this screen is absolutely beautiful. This has by far the best looking images I have seen on a laptop screen. The darks are dark, colors are bright, everything is sharp and crisp, the viewing angles seem slightly better than my previous laptops, and at max brightness this thing could burn holes in your retinas. That’s a joke obviously, but it is extremely bright which is useful when using the 3D. On other screens some things look too dark when watched in 3D due to the dark colored glasses. I have noticed this in the theater and with 3D TV’s. This screen doesn’t seem to have that problem. With the screen brightness turned up all the way and the glasses on the screen has about the same brightness as a normal monitor. On a side note, I can see the keys at night even without the keyboard being backlit with minimal effort due to the brightness of the display. A little more about the 3D, these laptops have the receiver for the glasses built into it. No need to carry around a dongle like you must use with a desktop. The glasses themselves are comfortable and I have had no issues with headaches or nausea after using the 3D for extended periods of time like some people have reported experiencing. I haven’t done much gaming in 3D though. I’ve played Skyrim in 3D for about 3hrs and I played WoW in 3D for a couple hours as well. I like 3D for games, but won’t use it much for newer titles just because of the FPS hit that they take. Once I get all of my older games installed I will probably start playing them in 3D, but newer titles I won’t. I wanted the 3D screen for use with 3D Blu-ray’s mostly. I LOVE watching 3D movies and now I can watch them in the comfort of my hotel room when I am travelling.

The speakers on this are nothing compared to a good set of external speakers, but for a laptop they are excellent. Much improved from what was in the HP and 3 Dell’s that I have had in the past. They are louder, clearer, and don’t have that weak and tinny no bass sound that so many laptops seem to suffer from. That being said, definitely get yourself a good set of headphones or external speakers to go with it. The speakers are fine for use around my house, but any background noise like a Hotel Heater/AC unit and you will have trouble hearing. That’s nothing new with laptops though. I have gotten used to turning the Heater/AC unit off when I’m trying to watch a movie on those trips that I have forgot to pack my headphones.

Conclusion
All things considered I would have to give this thing 9.5 out of 10. The only things holding it back are minor. The battery not being painted, not a full 10 key, and no backlit keyboard are the only gripes that I have. And none of them are major issues. If I had to do it all over again I would definitely choose a Mythlogic built Clevo over an Alienware or any other brand without a doubt. I love this laptop and I love the service, support, and professionalism of Mythlogic.

[acroedd]

Good review, I like the external paint job, but inside its too much I feel!

[dante316]

Dig the paint job! Really adds to the "wow factor". Wish I could trade my specs for you yours but I was on a bit of a budget

hmm... and do you know what controller that Wildfire SSD has? You're beating my M4 in 5/8 tests.

[Ryan]

Dig the paint job! Really adds to the "wow factor". Wish I could trade my specs for you yours but I was on a bit of a budget

hmm... and do you know what controller that Wildfire SSD has? You're beating my M4 in 5/8 tests.

It has the SandForce SF-2200.

[dante316]

It has the SandForce SF-2200.

Thought so... oh well need stability, would not trade in my M4 for a SandForce. And I have 22GB more than him after the drive is formatted so I WIN Still those SandForce SSDs are really fast! Perfect for a pure gaming laptop like the one he got.

I would say call your laptop "Blue Devil". Cuz its blue, and devilishly fast and expensive.

[LukeS]

Thought so... oh well need stability, would not trade in my M4 for a SandForce. An I have 22GB more than him after the drive is formatted so I WIN Still those SandForce SSDs are really fast! Perfect for a pure gaming laptop like the one he got.

I would say call your laptop "Blue Devil". Cuz its blue, and devilishly fast and expensive.

Thanks for the compliments! I wouldn't call this a pure gaming laptop though. I use it for work too when I travel. So I guess it's 90% gaming and 10% work. . But anyway, the reliability of the ssd has me just a little bit concerned as well so almost all files and media are saved to the 2nd drive and I partitioned off 50Gb of the 2nd drive and am using it for the daily backups i set up for the databases I use and wanted to leave on the SSD. They are really large Access databases and on a normal HDD there are delays when using them. I'm not seeing that with the SSD and I'm not worried about them either since they are getting backed up.

[Anthony@MALIBAL]

Thanks for the compliments! I wouldn't call this a pure gaming laptop though. I use it for work too when I travel. So I guess it's 90% gaming and 10% work. . But anyway, the reliability of the ssd has me just a little bit concerned as well so almost all files and media are saved to the 2nd drive and I partitioned off 50Gb of the 2nd drive and am using it for the daily backups i set up for the databases I use and wanted to leave on the SSD. They are really large Access databases and on a normal HDD there are delays when using them. I'm not seeing that with the SSD and I'm not worried about them either since they are getting backed up.

I would also recommend an external or offsite backup if those are critical files. If you had a power surge or something got fried, you could potentially lose both internal drives. In that case you'd be completely out of luck without an external backup.

[LukeS]

I would also recommend an external or offsite backup if those are critical files. If you had a power surge or something got fried, you could potentially lose both internal drives. In that case you'd be completely out of luck without an external backup.

Definitely good advice. I have an external 1TB drive that I'll be using for weekly backups of both drives. I am in IT and the company I work for won't listen to our advice for offsite backup. They claim it is too expensive, uses too much bandwidth, and not needed since we already do daily backups to an internal 2nd HDD. I've seen several cases of data loss for the exact reasons you said and they could have been avoided.

[acroedd]

Or you could just buy a monster surge protector like I did, its only like 20 bucks!

[hizzaah]

Bumping because I'm curious as to how your paint job is holding up. I'm thinking of getting a paint job on mine as well.

- What kind of options did they give you when you wanted a paint job?
- Can you only get a glossy finish?
- Is it covered under the warranty?

Anything else you can think of would be greatly appreciated.