Sager NP5160 Owner's Lounge

[rmassey]

Discussion thread for the Sager NP5160.

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

I received mine a few weeks ago (end of March) configured as:

- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- 4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- 6X Blue-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive-
- 500GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- Intel® Advanced-N 6230 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module + Bluetooth

my purchase goals were
- price @/below $1K
- some form of discrete video, not for gaming
- new 2nd Gen i7 CPU
- 15.x" 1080p display
- eSata / USB3 / HDMI connections
- weighs in below 6 lbs
- Battery life > 3hrs

I had considered the SG Hybrid drive, but really want to go SSD. My plan is to buy an SSD when prices drop and then move my 7200 - 500 GB HDD to a USB3 enclosure.

Also, I was considering the 2720 cpu for visualization, but then I built a new i7 DT with a 2600K, so I figured I can do visualization on that system.

Finally, I was looking at 8GB RAM, but for the $70 price bump, I felt I could just upgrade this myself for near the same price if/when the need arises.

I ordered the 5160 w/o an OS. I loaded my own copy of Win7 Ultimate and the 5160 is running fine.

FYI, I do zero gaming, so the 540 GPU is only used occasionally for a BluRay playback and perhaps some video editing. My interest in the 5160 was just to get a system with discrete video, not specifically for gaming.

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

Please tell us about your NP5160. What configuration did you get and how do you use your new Sager laptop.

[fatboyslim]

I was one of the first people to receive their NP5160 way back in March. I had to wait a week longer cause i live in New Zealand and shipping took like 1 week, which is actually pretty good. Would have got it a day earlier if it had not been held up in customs :P
My Setup is :

15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- Stock Thermal Compound
- 6GB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- 6X Blue-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive
- 500GB 7200RPM (4GB SSD Momentus XT)
- Stock Wireless Card
- Windows 7 Home Premium

My idle temps are between 39 - 43 degree's, which is lower than other peoples i've read online.

I mostly use my laptop for just univeristy studying and note taking, but i do do some heavy gaming on this. I usually run COD6, COD Black Ops and LFS on high graphics and my temps during range from about 60 degrees to 75 degrees.
With prime95 i can get up to 78 degrees
So far i am very happy with this laptop. The i7 is amazingly fast and on cinebench it comes very close to the i7 860 for the desktop
In total i paid $1313. Shipping to New Zealand cost me $200! But definitely worth it!

[littlejoeyrimshot]

just got mine last week and so far so good...do i need to load the drivers which came on the dvd or anyhting? seems to be running great

[Maverick494]

just got mine last week and so far so good...do i need to load the drivers which came on the dvd or anyhting? seems to be running great

if you bought the laptop with a pre-loaded OS from Xotic, they loaded the drivers so you are good. If you installed the OS yourself you might need to go get something other than the stock drivers that windows installs.

[erisalit]

I noticed that well all of the drivers on the Sager site have a date on them that is after my ship date, which was in March. So does that mean I should update to all of those April drivers for everything? I have them downloaded but have not pulled the trigger on any of them yet.

I should add, the manual downloadable at the Sager website is a worthy download for anyone owning a 5160 or 5170, even if you don't need to update drivers yet.

[powerpack]

Driver updates are meant to address known issues. As such unless you know of issues I would not update anything. Many people on this site do not agree with me. Then again many people spend much time on this site trying to fix their fuck ups. Run your computer for awhile and see if it runs good. I would say at least a month+. See how it goes.

[Maverick494]

I noticed that well all of the drivers on the Sager site have a date on them that is after my ship date, which was in March. So does that mean I should update to all of those April drivers for everything? I have them downloaded but have not pulled the trigger on any of them yet.

I should add, the manual downloadable at the Sager website is a worthy download for anyone owning a 5160 or 5170, even if you don't need to update drivers yet.

well the Nvidia driver updates from this month address a lot of issues with specific games. The rest are up to you. I say at least update your video card drivers.

[erisalit]

Thanks for the tips on the driver update issue guys. I will follow that advice and only do the video driver for now.

[VeshirBlack]

Hey guys I'm brand new to the forums and I just got my NP 5160 yesterday. The first thing I did after I fired it up and installed Firefox etc... was install some games. The games I installed are pretty old i.e. The Witcher EE and Titan Quest. I know The Witcher has numerous compatability promblems and I made sure to get the latest patches for both games. The main problem I'm having is that in the Nvidia control panel under Global Settings I can't select the Nvidia GPU and as the preferred graphics processor. The tab is locked on intergrated graphics. The other weird thing is that when I selected the The Witcher launcher in program settings it listed the game as Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. I figure this a problem with the drivers so I'm downloading the ones from Sager and Nvidia right now but I was hoping someone could give me some suggestions as what it could be. Thanks.

System:

Sager NP 5160
Intel Second Gen Sandybridge i7 2630QM 2.00 GHZ
Windows 7 64bit
Nvidia GT540M
6.00gb RAM

-Nevermind got it to work once I installed the drivers from Sager, everything is running smoothly with only a few minor framerate hiccups here and there. That aside this is a beautiful machine, quite, sleek, and powerful. One of the things that kind of bothers me though is the placement of the headphone jack. It's right next to the USB port that I use for my mouse and with the jack from stereo type headphones is tends to get in the way on smaller desks. But that's something I'm willing to get used to for something of this quality at this price.

[Jangooon]

I was one of the first people to receive their NP5160 way back in March. I had to wait a week longer cause i live in New Zealand and shipping took like 1 week, which is actually pretty good. Would have got it a day earlier if it had not been held up in customs :P
My Setup is :

15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- Stock Thermal Compound
- 6GB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- 6X Blue-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive
- 500GB 7200RPM (4GB SSD Momentus XT)
- Stock Wireless Card
- Windows 7 Home Premium

My idle temps are between 39 - 43 degree's, which is lower than other peoples i've read online.

I mostly use my laptop for just univeristy studying and note taking, but i do do some heavy gaming on this. I usually run COD6, COD Black Ops and LFS on high graphics and my temps during range from about 60 degrees to 75 degrees.
With prime95 i can get up to 78 degrees
So far i am very happy with this laptop. The i7 is amazingly fast and on cinebench it comes very close to the i7 860 for the desktop
In total i paid $1313. Shipping to New Zealand cost me $200! But definitely worth it!

Im in NZ too!, Ordered my NP8130 a week ago, completely stock for a total of 1373usd including shipping.:yes:

[rmassey]

>>the placement of the headphone jack

Something like this may help
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103788
to minimize the space next to your mouse hand.

[BrandonB]

Just ordered mine. :)

Fairly standard model.

Matte Type Super Clear FHD Screen
Core i7-2630QM
4GB of memory (for now)
500GB 7200RPM drive
Standard DVD-RW Optical Drive (may upgrade to BluRay Later)
3 Year Sager Warranty

This is for work, so I couldn't go too overboard, but I'm looking forward to using this machine. It will be my desktop replacement as well as the laptop I take on business trips. Can't wait for it to get here! Should ship 10 to 15 days according to Xotic. I've got a trip to Las Vegas coming up in the middle of May... I'm hoping its here before then. :)

Any of you guys playing SC2 on this thing? What frame rates are you getting at what settings?

Brandon

[jsunrocker]

- Software Bundle (Not Installed): No Software Bundle
- Microsoft Office Software: No Office Software
- Operating System: ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's + Microsoft Office Starter 2010 - Included with OS Purchase
- Mouse / Keyboard Accessories: No External Keyboard or Mouse
- Fingerprint Reader: Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- Port Replicator / Dock / Adapters: No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Sound Card: Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- TV Tuner: No TV Tuner
- Camera: Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Wireless Network Accessories: No Network Accessory
- Wireless Network: Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth
- Bluetooth: None Standard--
- Memory Card Reader: Internal 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
- Floppy Drive: No Floppy Drive
- Back Up Software: No Back Up Software
- External USB Optical Drive: NO External USB Optical Drive
- External Hard Drive (Back Up): No Back Up Hard Drive
- Additional Hard Drive in Optical Drive Bay: No Additional Hard Drive in ODD Bay - When Selecting, Optical Drive is NOT Included
- Primary Hard Drive: ~ 500GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- Optical Drive: ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Software
- Exterior Finish: Custom Fitted Laptop Back LCD & Inside Skin (A+C Surfaces) [Choose from our designs or your own Graphic or Logo (Details of design made after order)]
* Will add 7-13 business days on order
- Ram: ~ 6,144MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- External Display Video Adapters: 1x USB to DVI/VGA FHD Video Adapter (Laptop Display+External Display From Laptop+ USB FHD Adapter = 3 Total Displays)
- Graphics Video Card: nVidia GT 540M 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology
- Thermal Compound: - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- Processor: - 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- Dead Pixel Warranty: Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Display: 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen


New owner as of yesterday evening when it arrived on my doorstep. Out of the box this thing is slick. I've had limited time with it, but so far, everything has blown me away on this laptop. (Mind you my custom built PC is 8 years old and my only other experience with a laptop is a work Dell E640 series). I will state that after comparison testing, the volume (even through headphones) is like half of my Dell work laptop. Other than that, this thing is beautiful.

[littlejoeyrimshot]

i need to know what to set as to when the comp boots up it automatically connects to my wireless connection. as of now i need to apply the fix each time-but it then works fine :biggrin:

[ZRTMWA]

Is this gonna be the home thread for the 5165 owners too? I ordered one a yesterday.

[Jaieni]

Could any of the owners of this laptop comment on the battery life?

[jsunrocker]

Could any of the owners of this laptop comment on the battery life?

If I turn off the GPU and stick to basic functionality (Web browsing, MS office, etc..) i get inbetween 3-4 hours.

(EDIT: I type faster than i can think... corrected to what my brain was actually processing)

[VeshirBlack]

I've had my NP 5160 for just over a month now, it's great but as expected it gets really hot while gaming. Can anyone recommend a good notebook cooler?

[firstSager2k11]

I've had my NP 5160 for just over a month now, it's great but as expected it gets really hot while gaming. Can anyone recommend a good notebook cooler?

Have you tried pressing [Fn + 1]? Not sure if it works on NP5160, I'd like to know though. I have NP8130. It turns on the fan on full blast, press it again to turn it off.:)

[VeshirBlack]

Have you tried pressing [Fn + 1]? Not sure if it works on NP5160, I'd like to know though. I have NP8130. It turns on the fan on full blast, press it again to turn it off.:)
Thanks for the tip but it didn't seem to have any effect.

[firstSager2k11]

Thanks for the tip but it didn't seem to have any effect.

Do you mean the fan turns off but it didn't help cooling the CPU? or it didn't turn on at all? Perhaps it only works on select Sager models, no?

Note: We are used to seeing [Fn] followed by [F1], [F2], etc. but this one is [FN] + [1] not [FN] + [F1], just in case it was misread.:)

[littlejoeyrimshot]

thanks for the advice on the internet connection, its works fine. now i need help with the touchpad, where can i modify the sensitity

[johnjohn321]

thanks for the advice on the internet connection, its works fine. now i need help with the touchpad, where can i modify the sensitity

i think touchpad/mouse configuration is in control panel > Mouse. at least it is for me and i have a 5170, not much of a diff from the 5165 probably, besides screen sizes.

[PROJAX]

I don't know whether or not anyone else has this problem (or even if this thread is still alive ever since the 5165) but my fingerprint reader is no longer working at all.

It's been awhile since I've tried, but at first it said something like:

"Fingerprint reader is in a bogus state" and
"Fingerprint reader not detected"

all inside of a message box.

Only a couple days ago did it change from these two errors in a message box, to one on the control panel itself simply stating
"Fingerprint reader not detected"
with a big red 'X' in the center...

Can someone tell me what's going on? I have all of the latest drivers, I checked for updates and everything.

I mean, it's not essential or anything, but it was sure handy for web browsing and quick launching a few applications. Anyone have any ideas?

[bji]

I will state that after comparison testing, the volume (even through headphones) is like half of my Dell work laptop. Other than that, this thing is beautiful.

I found this to be true as well. I took my NP5160 on a trip last week and on the plane I found that I could barely hear anything through the headphones even at full volume; it was drowned out by the airplane background noise (which is of course rather loud but nothing I've ever had a problem overcoming with my other laptop).

Does anyone else feel like the audio volume, even through the headphone jack, is unusually low? At full volume it is something like 1/2 what I am used to. Could there be a hardware design problem (too low voltage on the headphone jack)?

BTW I am using Linux and I had thought that maybe that was the problem but I assume that jsunrocker was using Windows and is thus confirming that this is not a Linux-specific issue.

[johnjohn321]

I found this to be true as well. I took my NP5160 on a trip last week and on the plane I found that I could barely hear anything through the headphones even at full volume; it was drowned out by the airplane background noise (which is of course rather loud but nothing I've ever had a problem overcoming with my other laptop).

Does anyone else feel like the audio volume, even through the headphone jack, is unusually low? At full volume it is something like 1/2 what I am used to. Could there be a hardware design problem (too low voltage on the headphone jack)?

BTW I am using Linux and I had thought that maybe that was the problem but I assume that jsunrocker was using Windows and is thus confirming that this is not a Linux-specific issue.

i have the 5170 not the 5160, but i think the only diff is the screen size so ill throw in my input.

i totally agree that without headphones, and a quiet room, the sound quality is quite terrible. barely audible and tinny sounding at times. but i found that when i plug in my headphones/earbuds that the sound is just fine, even in a room with the noise of a few little kids screaming and running around and the tv or music on in the background. maybe you need better better headphones? cause i know there are bad ones and good ones out there. i use the headset that came with my smartphone if that helps.

[rmassey]

Sager 5160/ Nvidia 540M

How does the discrete graphics button work? When I push it, I see no changes to display lights. What should I expect, how can I test this.

The manual is a bit lacking.

[rmassey]

Sager 5160/ Nvidia 540M

How does the discrete graphics button work? When I push it, I see no changes to display lights. What should I expect, how can I test this.

The manual is a bit lacking.

Two week and no replies.....

My graphics button does nothing....
this seems to be quite common as noted here
http://www.xoticpcforums.com/showthread.php?t=10977
and here
http://www.xoticpcforums.com/showthread.php?t=10993

perhaps this is why my LT is a heat monger as noted here
http://www.xoticpcforums.com/showthread.php?t=10902&highlight=heat+monger

which lead me to purchase a $60 LT cooler as noted in the above thread.

OK, XoticPC - can you please address this issue and tell me how to get the VGA button to work, so I can stop running my LT in discrete graphic mode 100% of the time. No wonder my LT is acting like a hair dryer. Feel free to send me $60 for the unnecessary LT cooler as well.

[zinfandel]

Did you reinstall the HotKey drivers? Did you install the latest driver form NVidia website? Don't beleive it when Windows tells youtht youhave the best driver installed, I have at least 2 cases where it said I did and yet when I reinstalled the driver clean it cleared the problem. My button and Optimus work perfectly now.

[zinfandel]

BTW, RMAs are painful. You are without your new laptop for weeks.


This is the latest for 540M and 555M,which worked for me

http://www.nvidia.com/object/notebook-win7-winvista-64bit-275.33-whql-driver.html

The Hotkey drivers are on your install disk, not tryingto be patronizing, if you had software fully loaded you may beunfamilar with it.

[rmassey]

Seems to be working now, thanks. I did install new drivers and uninstall/reinstall Hotkeys. Seems like it took a few reboots to get it working.

LT temps are now 10 degrees lower in integrated graphics.

[Hirorir]

Has anyone else had problems with installing the bluetooth with the stock wifi-bluetooth combo card? I can get the Wifi working, but not the bluetooth...
When installing the driver, it says that I need to enable the bluetooth device.

EDIT: Never mind that :) Apparently, I had to enable via FN+F12.

[charleston2012]

Is there a technical manual for this laptop I can download.
Also, should the hard drive be spinning all the time?

[SmogHog]

Is there a technical manual for this laptop I can download.
Also, should the hard drive be spinning all the time?

There's a lot of Clevo/Sager Service manuals at the link below but sadly none for the W150HN.

If you are interested in diassembly of the W150 you might download the P150 service manual since the are close.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=d...7708e37b913e74 (http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=de6b0df1b481af0fc79b87b207592a1c64c55eb7 d7564d4e947708e37b913e74)

[Ferrick]

I bought the 5160 for my son for college. This is the first Sager I have ever ordered and it will arrive Monday late afternoon.

1600x900 Matte
i7 2630QM
540M card
4 gigs of RAM
320 gig HD
Xoticpc's warranty

* I have a brand new Windows 7 64-bit OS.

Since I have never worked with a Sager before I ask those of you who have experience with the 5160 what steps should I do (besides installing W7) to assure a smooth set-up and running laptop?

Thanks and I am glad for this owner's lounge. :)

[zinfandel]

I bought the 5160 for my son for college. This is the first Sager I have ever ordered and it will arrive Monday late afternoon.


* I have a brand new Windows 7 64-bit OS.

Since I have never worked with a Sager before I ask those of you who have experience with the 5160 what steps should I do (besides installing W7) to assure a smooth set-up and running laptop?

Thanks and I am glad for this owner's lounge. :)

Look back in the 5160/5165 threads (same machines except for video card)for hints on drivers and the Optimus technology. Your driver install disk will provide drivers to get started, you can upgrade others by visiting the manufacturers sites, like Nvidia or RelTek. Some do say that if it ain't broke don't fix it as far as upgrading drivers, but I do think at least the Nvidia one is necessary as they keep fixing Optimus and other issues.

IMHO, don't listen to any one person, listen to all and make your own decisions.
And don't forget antivirus (first thing as soon as you have internet connection) ,firewall and spyware blockers. I use

Microsoft Security Essentials effective, free and non intrusive
Spywareblaster
CCleaner more effective cleaner than the tools in IE
Belarc Advisor shows all your hardware and instaled software and updates as well as all program product keys.

I also put a PDF copy of the manual on the desktop for my son in case he needs it.
Also recommend a backup 2.5" HDD ( my son starts college Thursday so I just went thru all this)

Got him a Logitech M510 laser mouse with nano receiver, Best Buy has them for $20 thru today Saturday. Great mouse for $20, usually around $40. I'm getting another one today.

Feel free to ask questions. I am no expert, but just went thru this as I mentioned

[powerpack]

I also like Microsoft security.

On the mouse suggestion I think both mouse and external keyboard. I would guess most get the mouse for comfort. You would be surprised how much wear and tear you can put on the notebook trackpad and keyboard. External are easier and cheaper to replace. Yes if 90% of use is on the go not much help but I think most do 90% in home or dorm.

On drivers I agree there were/are Optimus issues. Read up on it. Update to reslove issues. Updating driver just to update should only be done by those who are comfortable/enjoy re-setting up their system from scratch.

[zinfandel]

Good catch, I think Best Buy has the keyboard/mouse combo on sale for $30 thru today

[Ferrick]

Thanks guys for the responses; much appreciated. I should have been more clear in my original post because I painted my need too large. I know about security software, etc. I also had planned on getting him a mouse as well.

What I wanted to know was the specifics about the Sager itself, a good proper set-up for drivers, etc. But you answered my questions especially about video and audio driver updates.

Any laptop that I have ever worked with one would go to the manufacture's website and update all drivers through them. But if I understand you correctly in the case of audio and video drivers go directly to the manufacture, correct?

And BIOS, chipset drivers, etc. through Sager's website, correct?

Speaking of audio, everything I have read has said that the speakers are very poor in quality. Thus I have been thinking about external laptop speakers. Thoughts?

Thanks again.

[zinfandel]

Thanks guys for the responses; much appreciated. I should have been more clear in my original post because I painted my need too large. I know about security software, etc. I also had planned on getting him a mouse as well.

What I wanted to know was the specifics about the Sager itself, a good proper set-up for drivers, etc. But you answered my questions especially about video and audio driver updates.

Any laptop that I have ever worked with one would go to the manufacture's website and update all drivers through them. But if I understand you correctly in the case of audio and video drivers go directly to the manufacture, correct?

And BIOS, chipset drivers, etc. through Sager's website, correct?

Speaking of audio, everything I have read has said that the speakers are very poor in quality. Thus I have been thinking about external laptop speakers. Thoughts?

Thanks again.

Ahh, didn't mean to sound patronizing. You did sound needy!
As far as security, we all have our favorites.

I would definitely go to Nvidia for latest drivers. Not sure how often Xotic updates the drivers on their disk but it took Nvidia 275.something to get Optimus working for me. It was released just about the time I got the 5165. Now a few days ago they released Verde 280.26 Driver, haven't tried it yet as the 275 driver is working fine. I had browsed the Nvidia forum looking for solutions to my Optimus issues and it seems Nvidia is fixing incompatibility issues every couple of months and using the forum to find issues from users. I remember using all the basic drivers from Xotic off the disk first to get me going and then upgraded.

I also went to Realtek for the audio drivers ,not sure if it is necessary or not. And also got the THX audio program, though I think that's on the disk. Xotic/Sager probably can't update their setup disk every week!

Don't know about speaker quality. I come from the distant past where speakers were packing crate sized (15" woofers plus mid and tweeter) so no speaker is as good as my 35 year old Klipsch. I will be sending my son with two old desktop speakers and a subwoofer for his dorm room.

Have fun, and post back if you get stuck. I did, and even if the answers weren't perfect they usually pointed me in the right direction.

[Maverick494]

And BIOS, chipset drivers, etc. through Sager's website, correct?

I don't, expect for bios. I get them from the manufacturer of the hardware.

Speaking of audio, everything I have read has said that the speakers are very poor in quality. Thus I have been thinking about external laptop speakers. Thoughts?

They are no more or less poor than the average laptop speaker. Most of those are just barely passable and not great for an audiophile.

That said, if you want a really good portable set of speakers:

http://www.amazon.com/X-Mini-II-Capsule-Speaker-Black/dp/B001UEBN42

these are small, great sounding, and best of all you can daisy chain several of them together for more sound and such. (note that out of 401 customer reviews on amazon over 350 of those reviews rate them 4+ stars and all but 22 rate them 3+ stars out of 5)

or there is obviously the choice of a headset from someone like skullcandy or the likes.

[zinfandel]

By the way, just tried speakers with music I am familiar with and while I don't remember what other laptop speakers sound like, these are weak on an absolute scale

[Ferrick]

zinfandel, naaa I didn't take you as sounding patronizing. :) The drivers were my main concern and you, powerpack, and Maverick494 gave me the information that I really needed.

This is especially about the BIOS, Optimus, and drivers in general and from whom to update. So if I understand correctly the Optimus issue should be resolved, right? This is very important because my son will be using this a lot for regular Office productivity, class notes, class work that deals with 2D animation, email, etc. so he certainly won't need the 540M engage a great deal of the time.

@ Maverick494 - nice little speakers but I'll also check out headphones.

By the way, does anybody know what harddrive brand Sager uses?

Thanks.

[zinfandel]

[QUOTE=Ferrick;71105]zinfandel, naaa I didn't take you as sounding patronizing. :) The drivers were my main concern and you, powerpack, and Maverick494 gave me the information that I really needed.

This is especially about the BIOS, Optimus, and drivers in general and from whom to update. So if I understand correctly the Optimus issue should be resolved, right? This is very important because my son will be using this a lot for regular Office productivity, class notes, class work that deals with 2D animation, email, etc. so he certainly won't need the 540M engage a great deal of the time.
QUOTE]

Optimus was fixed for me with 275 drivers, I assume the newer ones would work too. I didn't understand it at first but I had to go into the Nvidia control panel and select "auto select" so Optimus would automatically switch between dedicated and integrated GPU. Or you can select a preference for each program manually. Given this simple hint it will all make sense soon when you install. Mine works flawlessly now, though very frustrating for first few days.

[zinfandel]

By the way, does anybody know what harddrive brand Sager uses?

Thanks.

Install Belarc Advisor and run it. It doesn't tell the brand but it gives a model number which you can copy and paste into Google. Even tells you the serial number and optical drive model and all installed hardware and software.

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

[Maverick494]

they are probably seagates.

You can also get the model number from device manager, under disk drives.

If it is a 500GB drive I am willing to bet its a ST9500420AS just like in mine:

http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=70f4bfafecadd110VgnVCM100000f5 ee0a0aRCRD

[toenail]

i received my laptop march 25th and since then my biggest complaint would have to be the heat.. the heat is horrible on this thing and i dont even play games on it.. i can have it resting on my bed, crash out, wake up a few hours later and my mattress will be hot as hell while the laptop is hot to the touch.. cant even sit on the bed browsing the internet cause it makes my balls sweat.. not trying to be funny, not being sarcastic, this thing burns.. aside from that the optimus technology in the graphics card hasnt really been to great either, previous problems with no linux support which has since been taken care of but still nothing when it comes to adding osx86..

oh yeah, and the speakers are horrible also.. if you want to hear audio on this laptop sit in a soundproof room about the size of a closet, try not to breathe and listen closely..

[Ferrick]

@toenail - I went ahead and bought an Antec cooling pad (Staples had a tremendous sale going on) and it has rectified the heat problem. Give it a shot.

[Grimm]

I've mentioned it a couple times since getting my laptop about how horrible the speakers are ... I can deal with crappy sound but the volume level was my issue. It just wasn't loud enough.

Now ... I've had my 5165 for a couple weeks now and the volume level has noticeably improved. I don't know if this is down to a burn in time or what. Just a thought.

The quality is still crap ... and my old Lenovo Y560 sits in a whole other universe with regards to it's speakers. It kind of sucks considering that the Lenovo was significantly cheaper.

[Maverick494]

i received my laptop march 25th and since then my biggest complaint would have to be the heat.. the heat is horrible on this thing and i dont even play games on it.. i can have it resting on my bed, crash out, wake up a few hours later and my mattress will be hot as hell while the laptop is hot to the touch.. cant even sit on the bed browsing the internet cause it makes my balls sweat.. not trying to be funny, not being sarcastic, this thing burns.. aside from that the optimus technology in the graphics card hasnt really been to great either, previous problems with no linux support which has since been taken care of but still nothing when it comes to adding osx86..

are you retarded? the air intake for your machine is ON THE BOTTOM, of course it is going to get effing hot if you sit it on a surface that plugs up the fan intake. Your lap would also qualify as something that plugs up the fan intake. I suggest a lap pad for the notebook if you are going to use it extended periods right on your lap. (http://www.amazon.com/Laptop-Desk-Light-laptop-computer/dp/B003NTW4GI perhaps)

Also why the heck would a PC maker support OSX??? if you want a hackintosh then deal with the fact that it is a hack and it doesn't always work.

[littlejoeyrimshot]

how do the usb ports work when my 5160 is turned off. i'd like to charge my iphone with the laptop off

thanks

[Maverick494]

how do the usb ports work when my 5160 is turned off. i'd like to charge my iphone with the laptop off

thanks

I am not sure they work when the laptop is completely turned off. I think it has to be in sleep or hibernate mode in order to maintain the USB power. Could be wrong though.

[littlejoeyrimshot]

I am not sure they work when the laptop is completely turned off. I think it has to be in sleep or hibernate mode in order to maintain the USB power. Could be wrong though.


sorry, i meant sleep or hibernate....i'm an idiot at times

[caffeinetrip]

I got my Sager 5160 two months ago and have been loving it ever since. I got everything basic without upgrades expect for larger hard drive. My biggest regret is not having XoticPC install windows 7 and trying to save a few bucks to do it on my own.

I'm having really slow USB Drive transfer speeds, the same USB 2.0 memory stick on my computer transfers at 8mps and on my friends it transfers at 20mps.

Also I can't figure out if they blue usb slots are 3.0 or the black are? Any one know?

I did finally figure out that Orange VGA means it's switching between the Nvida Card and the Intel, while if you press it down and on Green it means power saving with the built in Intel video card only.

Speakers are terrible, which I already knew. But what I assumed was external speakers or headphones would do the trick, but still the volume is so low it is barely passable if there is outside noise. The THX TruStudio Pro is embarrassing to the company.

Gaming: The video quality is FANTASTIC. I've been playing StarCraft 2 and Skyrim on High quality and no lag! It took me a while to figure out how to set Skyrim to use the Nvidia card, but when I did it was like night and day.

[Jagdfox]

Also I can't figure out if they blue usb slots are 3.0 or the black are? Any one know?


The Blue Ports are the 3.0 ports.