By Gophn

Firstly, I would like to personally thank Justin Nolte of Xotic PC in providing me with this system for testing and evaluation. I will be going over the latest in notebook (as well as desktop) technology in the new undisputed “World’s Fastest Notebook.”

This will be the most detailed and in-depth review you will ever find for notebooks on the Internet… I want to make sure you know everything that I found about any review that I will do. I believe that one should be as informed as possible for any future purchase… especially when its a high-end electronic or computer.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. System Map (Ports, Vents, Other Features)
3. Initial Impressions
4. Design and Build Quality (exterior)
5. Design and Build Quality (interior)
6. Screen and Display
7. Input Devices (Keyboard, Touchpad, Camera, etc.)
8. Speakers and Sound
9. Battery
10. Thermal Design (Heat and Fan Noise)
11. Benchmarks and Test Results
12. Overall Performance and Overclocking
13. Compatibility and Stability
14. Conclusion (Final Thoughts)

Introduction (back to top)

Clevo has been a name (to those that know of it) known to design and manufacture the world’s fastest notebooks, as well as integrating the latest technology into a notebook form factor. The D900 series have been known to be the beastly of notebooks since they sport desktop processors and multiple internal hard drives… as well as some of the best thermal designs seen in a notebook since the D901C (a.k.a. Sager NP9262) was released.

The Clevo D900F (a.k.a. Sager NP9280) has just taken the crown once again in mobile performance. With the desktop Intel Core i7 processor (LGA 1366), tri-channel DDR3 memory (3 slots available), a high-end Nvidia Geforce GTX 280M, and up to three internal HDD’s (with RAID 0,1,5) in a notebook environment… even the most mobile of desktop systems out there would have to feel embarrassed by this notebook (or should I say “desktop replacement” or “mobile workstation”). It is, without a doubt, the fastest notebook in the world. Some people will try to dispute this, but it is just the truth since we are talking about the standard in computer performance… computational performance. Not to say that it is the fastest in mobile gaming, but it is definitely no slouch in that department either (as seen in the benchmarks).

How fast is this thing? How much does it cost? Who would need such a powerful notebook? Would a desktop just be a better choice altogether? And how will this beast stand up to my meticulous testing?

Just continue reading to find out…

Review System Specifications – Sager NP9280 (Clevo D900F)

Processor	Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition (3.33 GHz, 8MB L3 Cache)
Memory	6GB (3 x 2GB) triple channel DDR3-1333 (PC3-10666)
Operating System	Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit) … with Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon
Display/Screen	17.1-inch diagonal WUXGA 1920×1200 (LG.Philips)
Graphics Card	Nvidia Geforce GTX 280M (MXM 3.0B) 1024MB GDDR3
Storage (HDD)	640GB (2 x 320GB) Seagate 7200rpm HDDs in RAID-0 (striped)
Optical Drive	TSST DVD SuperMulti (+/- Double Layer) Drive
Wireless	Intel PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n
TV Tuner	none
Turbo Memory	none
Sound	Realtek ALC888/ALC889 (7.1 audio supported with SPDIF)
Dimensions	(W x D x H): 15.5″ x 11.75″ x 2.35″ | 39.4cm x 29.8cm x 5.97 cm
Weight	11.55 lb with battery (5.24 kilogram)
Power	standard 12-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (14.8V – 6600mAh)
Warranty	One-year standard parts & labor warranty (and 2 free extra years of labor from XoticPC.com)
Extras	Built-in 3.0MP camera, HDMI, DVI out, eSATA, 7-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard54 slot, standard case included

Price as configured: $3479.01 USD

The goodies that comes with the system.

A base configuration starts at $2240 USD.

If you are wondering, the major price difference between the one that I am reviewing and a base configuration is the processor… which is around a whopping $1000. Seriously though, I would just recommend getting an Intel Core i7-920 processor, which would still crush every other notebook on the market and save some money for buying other things. For those that just want bragging rights and/or have money to burn, go for it.

Clevo D900F Capable Specifications (as of review date):

Processor	supports desktop LGA1366 processors (up to Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition)
Memory	supports triple channel DDR3-1066/1333 (up to 12GB (3 x 4GB))
Operating System	Windows Vista and Windows 7 fully supported (also XP compatible)
Display/Screen	up to 17.1-inch WUXGA 1920 x 1200
Graphics Card	supports new Nvidia MXM 3.0B modules (up to GTX 280M)
Storage (HDD)	supports three SATA 2.5-inch HDDs & SSDs (up to 1.5TB (3 x 500GB) 7200rpm)
Optical Drive	standard slim-line SATA drive (up to Blu-Ray writer)
Wireless	standard mini-PCIe (up to Intel PRO/Wireless 5300AGN)
TV Tuner	standard mini-PCIe slot (Example: Yuan MC521A or MC770A)
Turbo Memory	standard mini-PCIe slot (up to 4GB)
Sound	Realtek ALC888/ALC889 (7.1 audio supported with SPDIF)
Dimensions	(W x D x H): 15.5″ x 11.75″ x 2.35″ | 39.4cm x 29.8cm x 5.97 cm
Weight	11.55 lb with battery (5.24 kilogram)
Power	standard 12-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (14.8V – 6600mAh)
Warranty	One-year standard parts & labor warranty through Clevo
Extras	Built-in 3.0MP camera, HDMI, DVI out, eSATA, 7-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard54 slot, standard case included

System Map (Ports, Vents, Other Features) (back to top)

Initial Impressions: (back to top)

When I first opened the box, I had a déjà vu moment. It felt like when I opened my Clevo D900K three years ago… same sized box, same internal packaging, and even the same type of standard black carrying bag. The packaging is quite strong and sturdy, which is good to know for those that are afraid of what might happen during transit. The notebook is well cushioned and tight in the middle with the notebook carrying case adjacent to it for extra cushion. Inside of the notebook bag were the essentials: Windows DVD, Drivers CD, User’s Manual, and software.

You cannot get to the notebook right away since you will need to take out the bag first to give you enough space to take out the system. Then there is the plastic around the notebook and the two plastic films (one for palm rest area and the other for the screen) when you open the notebook. The film on the lid of the LCD does not really need to be peeled since it does not get in your way at all… in fact, my D900K still has it unpeeled and in mint condition today.

The notebook just gives me the impression of quality… I found it just as sturdy as my old D900K. The system’s footprint and appearance is near identical to the D900’s of 2005/2006. Nice dark color scheme on the system with a touch of gloss on the top surface of the notebook. It is sleek, professional, and not flashy (lights and such)… my kind of style. xD

The D900F by itself.

The D900K and the D900F together.

More comparison pictures between the D900 beasts.

Design and Build Quality (exterior): (back to top)

Like it has been known, the Clevo D900 series are built tough with sturdy and heavy plastic. One of the first impressions to everyone that ever gets to see one of these systems in person is something like “Wow, that’s huge!” Since these Clevo desktop replacement systems are housing a powerful desktop processor, the cooling for it, the multiple internal hard drives, and the numerous other internal devices… you cannot expect these things to be thin. These beasts are usually thick to accommodate all of the components and the amazing internal cooling systems. You will find that there is no flex to the heavy plastic on the D900F chassis, which is good since there are so many powerful and expensive components within to protect. The most noticeable thing about the chassis is the sturdy black glossy plastic that encases the exterior of the system. Definitely looks quite nice when you take a look at the system up close, but you better bring a micro-fiber cloth with you since it is quite the fingerprint magnet.

Front view with LCD lid closed.

The exterior design is oddly the place to criticize these beastly Clevo desktop replacement model (while the internals would embarrass even the most powerful of other notebooks). What is usually said about this system (mainly from those that have never seen or used a high-end Clevo notebook in person) is that they are “ugly”, “block-like”, “not flashy”, “not sexy”, “too monotone”, etc. Appearances and the liking of the appearances of anything in this world is always personal preference. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. It would be a shame to let something like the “sexiness” or “cuteness” of a system to be the deal breaker for what it is really capable of. As for my take, I have always liked the professional looks of Clevo systems because it is not too loud (in appearance) and does not scream “steal me” (which is what usually happens when people want to show off a computer with too many aesthetics). I like “sleeper” systems, which means that they look simple on the exterior while having extreme performance where it counts… no need to show off a colorful system for me.

Top view.

The top of the notebook (the LCD casing) is a glossy black like on the previous D901C. There is little flex to it and the hinges are quite sturdy for the LCD screen. And on the other side lays the LCD panel with the iconic Clevo built-in camera right at the top center of the LCD casing.

This system uses the exact same chassis as the previous D901C. Almost all the ports are in the same places, the bottom is identical, and the weight is near identical as well. The D901C’s design was solid and plentiful in ports, but there were some minor complaints that might have been resolved in the D900F.

The front pack audio jacks and speakers.

On the front of the notebook, there are an infrared receiver (for TV Tuner’s remote) and four audio ports [the same as the previous D901C] that supports up to 7.1 audio (through SPDIF). Some feel that the placement of the ports are a bit annoying if one were to bump into the audio jack in the front of the system while listening to music or playing games. I have tested this theory in a number of scenarios from gaming at a Starbucks to using it in a cramped apartment using a TV dinner tray. I did not find the front audio jacks to be a nuisance at all. I did feel a bit homesick for my D900K since my old notebook has some front panel media keys (even volume control) and the Audio DJ display (for time or music tracks).

Left view: HDMI, CATV, Optical Drive.

The left of the D900F has the most ports on this system… maybe even more than most notebooks on the market. This is also the side of the notebook that differentiates the D900F to the previous D901C since there are two minor changes in the ports available. The new D900F has an HDMI-out port and an e-SATA port (while the previous D901C had a CRT/VGA-output and an S-Video in jack). In addition, you also have CATV/Antenna Jack (requires an internal TV Tuner), a RJ-11 phone jack, a RJ-45 LAN jack, a mini-IEEE 1394a (JMicron firewire) port, a single ExpressCard 54 slot, a 7-in-1 card reader, and a standard optical drive bay (which can house slimline Serial ATA optical drives, like Bluray/DVDRW).

Right View: USB ports and Kensington slot.

On the right side of the notebook, there is not much to look at. You have four USB 2.0 ports and a Kensington notebook lock slot. I will have to note that the USB port placement on the right side of the notebook is another part of the exterior design that has had much criticism since the D901C was designed this way. It is true that right handed (lefties have no quarrels with this design) users of this notebook using an external USB mouse might feel annoyed since they might bump into the USB plug. So I had to test it since I am an avid right-handed user of an external mouse with my notebook. I found two things when using the external mouse in my test scenarios: (1) if you use a notebook cooler, you will not really notice it since the ports would be elevated to a height where the mouse would not even bump into the plug, and (2) when I am gaming, I am so focused in the game itself that something as trivial as where the mouse plugs into did not phase my train of thought. Therefore, I would say that the USB ports on the right of the notebook do seem a bit out of place at first, but after using it for a few days, I did not even notice them.

Back View: Power port and DVI port.

The back of the notebook is somewhat interesting since you only have two ports (the DVI out port and the power port) and all of the exhaust vents for this powerful notebook. I do like the design of the venting since it’s very simple and focused to exhaust all heat through the back side of the notebook.

Bottom View

The bottom of the notebook is like the D901C’s. You have access to most to all of the components (CPU, RAM, HDDs, Videocard modules, and battery) so you can upgrade or troubleshoot the hardware yourself, which is one of the best features of Clevo high-end systems. You will see the four intake vents for the fans on one panel, the panel for two harddrives, and the battery (where the third battery is situated).

The exterior is quite simple if you look at the system as a whole… no pretty lights, no eye catching colors, and just professionally black. People can criticize the exterior all they want, but when it comes down to it… there is no denying the raw power from these systems as compared to all other notebooks on the market.

This will give you an idea of its thickness. Pepsi is the best.

Design and Build Quality (interior): (back to top)

Now to get to the true beauty and power of computer systems… the internals. Clevo systems have been known to be the most innovative in incorporating the latest technologies into the cramped confines of a notebook chassis, such as SLI (dual videocards), multiple internal hard drives (with RAID support), and even the first to have built-in cameras.

The D900F looks like an updated D901C from the outside, but is definitely a different story when looking at the internals. Even though there are a few internals that remain the same between the two systems (like the 12-cell battery and hard drive placements), the rest is pretty much different.

Removing the bottom panels and the battery.

Under the keyboard (removed easily by pressing four retractable plastics tabs on top of the keyboard), you will find the three mini-PCIe slots for this notebook (for Wi-Fi, Turbo Memory, and TV Tuner), Bluetooth module, and one slot of RAM.

Removing the fan and heatsink to get to the CPU and RAM.

Upon removing the bottom panel of the notebook with the four vents, you will find three large diameter fans with a lot of copper heatsinks and pipes… which together creates the amazing thermal design for this beast. Two fans and single large heatsink are focused to cool the hot Intel Core i7 processor, the Northbridge chipset, and two slots of the RAM. One fan is connected to an independent heatsink assembly for the powerful Nvidia GTX 280M graphics card module. The processor is a standard desktop LGA1366 socket for the new Core i7’s, the three RAM slots are using DDR3 SODIMM up to 1333MHz, and the single videocard modular slot is using the new MXM 3.0B standard. For the time being, Nvidia only has the GTX 280M available in this format. You will find the three internal hard drives are standard 2.5” Serial ATA, two of which are found together in one panel and the third found under the battery. Together, you can configure up to 1.5TB (three 500GB drives) and/or SSD’s (Solid State Drives) of your choice with RAID functionality.

Removing the MXM 3.0B graphics module… nice.

On a side note, one of the most common criticisms about the D900F (as compared to the previous D901C) specifications is the single videocard within it. “Where’s the SLI videocards?!?” “Isn’t there room for it?!?” This is what is usually asked in the forums and boards online. The main reason that Clevo designed this system with only a single videocard is the power requirements of the Core i7 CPU are so great that a second videocard module would not have sufficient power for it to use. Personally, I think Clevo has gone back to its roots of the D900 design to make it not just oriented to be the fastest gaming notebook, but to be more of a mobile workstation with a single powerful desktop processor, a single powerful graphics card, and multiple hard drives (with RAID support).

To sum it up, on the bottom you have access to: the Core i7 CPU, two slots of RAM, three hard drive bays, the videocard module, and the battery.

Here is how to get to the Wifi/TV Tuner/Bluetooth/Turbo Memory and 3rd RAM slot.

On the top (under the keyboard), you have: the wireless card module, the TV Tuner module, the Bluetooth module, and the third slot of RAM.

All of the components listed are very easy to get to, and simple to upgrade/replace without having to dismantle most of the notebook to get to them (like other notebooks on the market). There should not be any voiding of the warranty for users upgrading their own system since most to all of the components have instructions in the user’s manual… but some vendors/OEMs might be a bit more strict on letting users do things themselves, so double check with your vendor/OEM if you see a “VOID if removed” sticker on the bottom.

These components together make this notebook the most powerful and capable mobile system in the world, dwarfing most of the desktop systems out there.

Screen and Display: (back to top)

A subject that is usually up for scrutiny is the display panel used on a notebook. Most people do not realize that less than a handful of LCD panel brands are used in over 99% of all notebooks. In high-end and high-resolution notebooks, the usual LCD panels used are from LG.Philips and Samsung. In this D900F, the LG.Philips LP171WU1 screen is quite nice and very bright… especially compared to the same model (older revision) LCD panel that is used in my D900K. The LCD panel in this D900F is 1920×1200 with a glossy finish. The response of the LCD is perfect for all uses… great in gaming environments since there was no ghosting or lags. With the glossy screen, the contrast of the LCD’s reflection held up quite well even when I was using it with a window directly behind me. Of course a matte screen would be better for those that want no reflections and/or live in an environment where there are many windows.

The viewing angles are pretty good for a notebook LCD. I do not get why so many reviews talk about viewing angles since 99% of users will be using the notebook with the screen facing directly at them. It’s not like you are going to turn your notebook at a 70-degree angle to the side and 25-degrees down, and then try to play games with your head and arms awkwardly assimilating to that angle as well… c’mon now. There may be an occasion where you have to show someone what is happening on your screen, but that is so rare. A notebook is a single user machine and not a huge TV to watch movies on with all of your friends. You should be very happy with this display and the amazing workspace that you get from the 1920×1200 resolution.

Night shots of the viewing angles. D900F is on the left, my old D900K is on the right.

Input Devices (Keyboard, Touchpad, Camera, etc.): (back to top)

The keyboard of the D900F is the exact same iconic Chicony keyboard found in almost every other 17-inch Clevo notebook model that dates back many years. It is a full sized keyboard with a dedicated numerical pad. It feels a bit cramped on the right side since the numpad does not have a standard layout, but I have gotten used to it ever since I have used my D900K for over three years now. The keyboard is quite responsive and does not make loud clicks when pressed. There is no noticeable keyboard flex when I was testing it for basic typing and gaming. The individual keys are spaced out quite comfortably, they are sized quite nicely for even the largest of hands, and they have a smooth plastic matte feel. The function keys are the same ones found on the other 17-inch Clevo models.

The minor criticisms of the Clevo keyboard are usually: the numpad’s cramped layout and the cramped function keys (that controls things like volume, brightness, etc). Personally after using the same keyboard for three years now, I have no quarrels with either of the criticisms since one would get used to their keyboard after a period of use.

The touchpad is a spacious Synaptics model that I find to be an improvement of the D900K touchpad. The touchpad is quite responsive, feels extremely sturdy, and has a nice non-stick matte surface. The scrolling is also nice, smooth, and fast. The clicks on it were as expected… works and solid. I usually use an external mouse, but the touchpad is quite impressive if you were to use it when you are in a bind or there is no room for a mouse.

The built-in camera located above the LCD is pretty standard. With 2.0 MP (megapixels), it’s pretty nice and clear… as long as you are in a well-lit environment. The motion capture for the camera is not the best for fast motion, but you are not going to use it like a camcorder anyways. As a webcam, it’s perfect.

The built-in microphone located below the LCD is pretty standard as well. It works amazingly well for Skype and Ventrilo. You might want to boost the volume of the Mic (in your Windows Volume Control) if you are a soft spoken person. There is not much background noise that is recorded when I was testing it, but make sure the Mic Boost is not enabled if it’s not needed. And make sure to mute the Microphone when you are not using it since you will hear strange feedback in your speakers or headphones or your voice if it’s left enabled.

On the left of the keyboard, there are “Gaming hotkeys” which can be used to configure an action or ability in a game. It does require software to be installed to map keys to it. I did not really use it since I am used to the standard keyboard, but it worked when I tested it out.

Above the keyboard are three standard hotkeys which can be configured to open your web browser, your email client, or any other applications that you like to use.

Speakers and Sound: (back to top)

Like most notebooks, the built-in speakers are average. It does get a volume boost since there are four of them in these Clevo D900 models. I felt like my previous D900K had better speakers, but it turned out that the D900F unit that I received had a malfunctioned left speaker. I went to use another D900F that a friend bought and it sounded perfect. If I run the system off of external headphones or speakers, all is nice and clear.

Nowadays, integrated sound cards in computers are perfect for general usage and even gaming. You would only want to get an external sound card if you wanted to do pro audio editing/mixing, want to use more than 8-channels of audio, or if you were very picky about your sound quality (which some people are… all the way down to the type of headphones that they use). The integrated Realtek soundcard found in Clevo D900 systems are usually the best ones… and yes, there are different integrated sound cards. The D900F is sporting the Realtek ALC888/ALC889 which may already sound quite nice on the built-in speakers (as well as external headphones/speakers), but if you know how to tweak the Realtek Sound Manager software settings it can sound even better.

To get some good sound over the default settings, go into the Realtek Sound Manager software (usually found in the Control Panel):

• Set the “Environment” to Carpeted Hallway

• Enable the “Equalizer”, and set it to either:

o Soft (as in Soft Rock) for smooth sounds/music (removes static)

o Powerful, which would boost the sound from the speakers

I have been gaming and doing media on the D900F for a few weeks. I usually use headphones (cheap ones), and the sound quality is fine… even better when you do those Realtek tweaks.

Finally, I would like to clarify how to properly connect and use the multi-channel audio on this notebook. It can actually handle up to 8-channel (7.1) audio by using SPDIF (using coaxial to 3.5mm mono). If you have analog 6-channel (5.1) speakers or headphones with the three 3.5mm audio jacks, you can also use them on this notebook without issues. Just remember that whichever audio setup that you choose, the key is the configuration in the Realtek software.

Battery: (back to top)

The 12-cell battery that is standard to these notebooks can usually power a typical mainstream notebook (that uses less than 90 watts) up to 6 hours. But since this is a beastly 220-watt notebook that has so many powerful components in it, you cannot expect to have an amazing batterylife as well.

Through my tests, this notebook gets up to 1 hour 35 minutes on idle, the brightness at medium, and the wireless disabled. On basic usage (web browsing and word processing) with wireless on, this system squeezes out 1 hour and 15 minutes before going into standby from low power.

Very Important Info from the User’s Manual.

On battery, the system does not go into full performance since the CPU is downclocked to 2.66 GHz (from the max 3.33 GHz), and the videocard is also downclocked to about half speed. So you should not try to game on this system on battery since you will not get full performance, and the battery will just drain fast… which seemed to last about 40 minutes in my tests.

People may criticize the batterylife for this beast and even call it an internal UPS (uninterrupted power supply), but it is natural to have a give and take when choosing performance/power over portability/batterylife.

A real life recommendation: if you are going to play high-end 3D games on ANY gaming notebook, you are still going to need to be near a power outlet anyways.

Thermal Design (Heat and Fan Noise): (back to top)

One of the first things that you would hear from an ignorant person to Clevo notebooks when they see the specs of these high-end models are: “Man that thing will cook eggs” or “That thing will melt from the heat.” Since the D901C, people have pretty much stayed quiet since there was no dispute that Clevo’s thermal design was the best found in any notebook on the market to date (not only high-end ones). You will realize how amazing the Clevo cooling systems are in the high-end models, enough to even say that they can match that of desktop cooling designs.

With two large diameter fans that are actively cooling two large copper heatsinks (that are connected to four large copper heatpipes), the hot Intel Core i7-975 Extreme(130-watt) is getting some major cooling. Even with that, the CPU idles around 55-65C degrees. At full load (all 8 threads at 100%), the CPU can get upwards to 90-95C in long duration tests… now that’s a spicy meatball… or a scorching one. I found that the CPU temp would only go past 90C only in heavy multi-threaded benchmarks. In all other heavy gaming tests and benchmarks, the CPU temperature never exceeded more than 75C degrees… which is very acceptable.

The videocard (Nvidia GTX 280M) is ice cold…literally. It idles at a low 50C degrees and it never exceeded 70-73C in any test or benchmark that was GPU intensive. Even the dreaded FurMark could not get this videocard warmer than 75-78C with an hour test. The single large diameter fan and large copper heatsink assembly is more than sufficient for this powerful videocard. This means a great potential for overclocking as well… wink wink.

The exterior of the notebook (less the back of the notebook where the exhaust vents are located) stays quite cool during the most stressful of system tests. The top corners of the keyboard can get noticeably warm, but not uncomfortably hot. On the bottom of the notebook, the place that just the warmest is around the lower center area, which is where the two hard drives can reside… but it’s just warm and nowhere near the point of it being uncomfortable. Also, the battery area does not really have a temperature change (when it’s full and your notebook is plugged into AC power) unless if you are using it on battery or charging it. I was very impressed to see that the notebook stayed quite cool during my tests (look at the results below). This system does a great job exhausting the majority of the heat through the back, which keeps the rest of the system pretty cool.

Idle Temps (in °C)

For Temps in Fahrenheit (°F): top pic and bottom pic

Full Load Temps (in °C)

For Temps in Fahrenheit (°F): top pic and bottom pic

Gaming Temps (in °C)

For Temps in Fahrenheit (°F): top pic and bottom pic

The fan noise is actually much better than one would think for having so many fans in a single notebook system. You may be wondering why. Think about it this way, a typical gaming/performance notebook has one to two small fans to cool the powerful components within, while the D900F has three large ones for cooling. Since there are more fans that are larger than the fans found in other notebooks, it would intake and pushes more air through the system much more efficiently… meaning that the fans would not have to spin up as much to cool the system down as compared to other notebooks with fewer and smaller fans.

During idle usage, the fans barely spin up when the CPU and/or videocard temperature reaches a certain warm point. And then the fans just turn off automatically when the temps are cool enough. This is pretty typical for most other notebooks on the market as well.

During heavy usage (like playing games or during heavy multimedia work), the fans would spin up the same way and throttle up faster when the temps get warmer.

The noise is noticeable when the fans start spinning up, but when the fans stay constantly spinning, one would not even notice it since it just seems like a low constant noise. It definitely was not even noticeable or annoying in a library or a local coffee shop, but I would probably not recommend using it for gaming in a class setting since the fans will go max speed and may annoy nearby classmates… just use it for general usage during class time.

One of the greatest and unique features in a high-end Clevo notebook is the famous Fan Toggle that appeared in their models since 2005. In this notebook, you can hit Fn+1 to toggle all of the fans to either Auto Speed (default speed when you start up the system) or switch the fans to Max Speed, which would give you maximum and constant cooling performance regardless of the current temps of the components. The fan noise at max is noticeable but not loud or annoying… it is even quieter than my D900K at max fan speed. *sighs*

Of course the exhaust vents on the back of the notebook will have various amounts of heat coming out of there depending on what you are doing. It can be a nice mini heater back there if you are doing a lot of gaming or heavy multimedia work, which will not affect you in any way since you are not directly in front of the vents. Also, make sure to never block the vents on the bottom or on the back of this system if you want to make sure that it stays efficiently cooled. Always use any notebook on a clean, hard, flat surface… NEVER use it on your lap, bed, couch, pillow, or any other soft surface. I recommend getting a notebook cooler to guarantee that the system is being used on a trusted surface and helps to shave off a few degrees.

The D900F with a Zalman ZM-NC2000 Notebook Cooler.

One of the only things that concern me about this system is the CPU temp at full load (all 8 threads at 100%). I know 99% of the people getting this notebook won’t even tap the system’s full CPU potential to get the temperatures into the 90C range, but for the few that will use it for multi-threaded number crunching (multimedia modeling/rendering/editing/mixing/etc) they should make sure to watch those temps and probably use a notebook cooler for additional cooling. This is why I have contacted Sager and asked them to seriously reconsider including the fourth fan as an option for those that want it… because as it stands, that fan seen in initial reviews does not exist in any Clevo vendor’s inventory system. True that it is the smallest of the fans shown in the initial review units, but any extra cooling for the CPU is welcomed. I think this may just be resolved when the Core i7 gets its next die-shrink revision to consume less power and generate less heat, while not sacrificing any of its processing power. This is very similar to what occurred with the previous D901C when the first LGA775 quad-core CPUs (105-watt) were too power hungry and hot to be recommended in the system… until they got the G0-stepping versions (95-watt) that consumed less power and was even cooler. Now the D901C has even got the 45nm LGA775 quad-core CPUs in there and have become much faster as well as cooler. I expect the D900F will follow in similar steps as the CPUs become faster, smaller (die), and, of course, cooler.

Therefore, I will sum up this system as having amazing cooling for the world’s fastest processor and one of the fastest mobile graphics cards on the market. Anyone that will use this system will find that the cooling is extremely efficient and surprisingly quiet.

UPDATE: As I was finishing this review up, I found that my predictions were already becoming true. Even though I have already returned the system, a friend that had purchased a D900F was willing to test his system for an Intel Xeon X5550 (Nehalem) which is the same specs as the Intel Core i7 920… except that the Xeon has a 95-watt TDP as compared to the 130-watt TDP on the Core i7. As expected, the Xeon booted up and ran fine with no signs of instability, but the most amazing part is the CPU temp… a drop of about2 15-25% in temperature across the board in all tests. So if you want a fast and cool Core i7, the Xeon might be the way to go… until Intel produces the new low TDP Core i7’s. But be forewarned, the Xeon’s (Nehalem) are quite more expensive and might not be worth it if you are just gaming. My friend is a hardcore audiophile/video editor and mixes/renders a lot of audio/video that utilizes all eight of the cores (4 physics, 4 logical) which he monitored the temps to reach 90C… so a cooler (yet more expensive) CPU was worth it to him.

Benchmarks and Test Results: (back to top)

I would like to start to say that you can totally ignore this section. I have been saying for years that benchmarks and performance test results (especially synthetic ones) are usually useless for real world usage. If you just a computer to go online, browse the web, watch videos, listen to music, do some word processing, etc… why would knowing how many PCMarks matter to you at all.

So the following should be taken as strictly synthetic results, which does not fully reflect a system’s true performance in whichever task a person might want to use it for. However, they are great for indications and comparisons to other systems… just do not take it too seriously.

I will be comparing results on Vista 64-bit and XP 32-bit… which would help show you that there is little to no difference in overall performance.

CPU, Memory, and Other System Benchmarks

WEI (Windows Experience Index)

As you can see, this system gets the maximum score (with and without the RAID-0 array) for the built-in Windows synthetic system benchmark. What does this mean?… Not much.
I would recommend everyone to NOT take this [as well as most other synthetic benchmarks] seriously because it really does not translate into real world usage and performance. But make no mistake, only of a few systems in the world can get this maxed score.

HDTune (for HDD performance)

This system came with two 320GB 7200rpm drives which were configured in a RAID-0 (striped) array. The speed of one of these drives are plenty fast, but with two of them in a striped array, its screaming fast. If you are fortunate enough to get some good SSD’s in here, then you will see lightning speeds in loading times and access times. I recommend sticking with standard 7200rpm HDD’s if you are on a budget and want the most for your money by getting a lot of storage space and plenty fast performance.

wPrime (for CPU performance)

As you can see this notebook deserves the title of “The World’s Fastest Notebook.” There is no other notebook that can come even close to these blazing fast times. The closest time that another highest end and extremely expensive notebook is about 15 seconds on the 32M test (while this system got 7 seconds)… this should give you an indicator of how fast the Intel Core i7 Processor that is in this notebook. Does this mean that everything you do on this notebook will be lightning fast? Not quite. You would definitely notice the CPU performance if you are using multi-threaded programs (like video editing, media rendering, media encoding/converting, etc.) and multi-threaded videogames. I was interested in the 1024M results because Vista 64-bit had a faster time than the XP 32-bit time.

CINEBENCH R10 (for CPU performance and light GPU performance)

Not much to say about this test other than it being a nice a simple test to see what would happen if your system were to use a movie editing program or a similar media rendering program that will be heavily CPU dependent. It seems that Vista 64-bit to be the most consistent in long duration CPU tests, just like in the wPrime test.

POV-Ray (for CPU performance for rendering images)

Once again, the rendering time for the Core i7 is amazing. The results clearly show a very tiny performance gain in the XP results over Vista 64. Just goes to show that CPU performance remains intact for up to date XP 32-bit operating system.

FutureMark PCMark05 (a very well known PC performance benchmark program)

The results are quite stellar since on both XP and Vista gave a score of over 10,000. As it seems, Vista did edged out the XP results 1,000 points. It is a very small difference, but I am glad to see that Vista shows a good optimization of hardware… even with resource hog options enabled during the test. One should be proud of getting such an improbable high score… especially if you like bragging rights.

SiSoftware Sandra 2009 (aka. SiSandra | an amazing diagnostics and benchmarking utility)

This program has so many tests that you can run, but I mainly focused on the CPU and Memory benchmarking… which are the two main factors that makes this new notebook so special over all the others.
For the most part, the Vista results seem to be consistently beating out the XP results… slightly. The main thing to realize when comparing the results is that the loss of the ~3 GB of memory did not affect the overall performance results on the XP (32-bit) operating system… which means that those that still want to use XP for their work or gaming should not hesitate to do so. Also, memory bandwidth in this Core i7 system is off the charts (on both XP and Vista)… definitely way out of reach from any other notebook on the market.

Graphics Card (GPU) Synthetic Benchmarks

FurMark from oZone3D.net (a graphics benchmark for rendering fur in 3D)

This benchmark is known to bring a system’s graphics card to max load. Some systems will be brought to its knees with this test… especially since it will generate a lot of heat if your video card’s thermal cooling is not sufficient enough.
The GPU temps never really exceed 70C during this test, which is amazing. And if you haven’t noticed yet, Vista and XP scores are almost the same… so no real difference for this test running on either operating systems.

FutureMark 3DMark06 (one of the most used 3D graphics benchmarks)

Being one of the most well known and used benchmarks for gaming systems makes people feel that it should be a standard. I would have agreed back in 2006, but as it stands now… this benchmark is dated and should not be taken too seriously. I say this because the CPU can really inflate the total score dramatically. If you want to use this benchmark’s results to compare with other systems, just pay attention to the SM2.0 and HDR/SM3.0 scores.
Both results show the amazing score of over 13,000-14,000 marks. From the results, it seems the XP has gotten the slight advantage over Vista once again… but this does not really translate to a better gaming experience.

FutureMark 3DMark Vantage (the latest and new standard for 3D graphics benchmarking)

This is the latest and probably the more recommended 3D benchmark since (unlike the previous 3DMark06) the total score is more accurate and does not get inflated from having a different CPU or having PhysX (or not). It literally focuses on the performance of the graphics card itself. So I would recommend using this benchmark to compare results over using the aging 3DMark06. The only thing I would have liked to have been modified about this benchmark is to have official support for testing on XP 32-bit with a DirectX 9.0 test mode.
From the results, you can see that the system remains quite powerful… not compared to just notebooks, but the desktop gaming systems as well.

Gaming Benchmarks

Call of Duty 4
All high settings, Max AF, No AA
60 second Timedemo with 12 bots (by Gophn)

Crysis
High Settings, 32-bit, DirectX 9, No AA
Benchmark Tool was used

Left 4 Dead
All high settings, Max AF, No AA
Timedemo (by guru3D)

The Last Remnant
Default Settings
Benchmark of the game

Unreal Tournament 3
Max Details, No Sound, Full Screen, DX9
Benchmark Tool was used (flythrough only)

Devil May Cry 4
High Settings, 32-bit, DirectX 9, No AA
Benchmark of the game

Resident Evil 5
High Settings, 32-bit, DirectX 9, No AA
Benchmark of the game

Street Fighter 4
High Settings, 32-bit, DirectX 9, No AA
Benchmark of the game

As you can see, this machine is no slouch in the high-end gaming department. The single Nvidia GTX 280M seems to be a great fit for great gaming without a need for a second one in SLI.
From the benchmarking process, I thought that this system might not be able to handle the newest games on high settings… but I was wrong. Even the popular, yet unoptimized “Crysis” ran quite well at all resolutions with high settings. The game actually got an average framerate of 24 FPS at the resolutions of 1920×1200, which is amazing for a single graphics card to do. Every other game pretty much stayed 99-100% above 60 FPS during all benchmark tests at all resolutions.
For gaming purposes, this system is perfectly fine from my tests… not to mention that the GPU temps stayed extremely cool (well under 65C) the entire time.

Overall Performance and Overclocking: (back to top)

The performance of the Clevo D900F does not disappoint. Only Clevo is experienced enough (and probably crazy enough) to continue to design amazing fast notebooks with desktop processors. There is no other notebook on the market that gets near the raw power that even the lowest of D900F configurations (with the Intel Core i7 920) for this notebook will overpower even the fastest of mobile processors. This system got over 11,000 PCMark05 right out of the box, as well as the amazing wPrime score of 7.4 seconds on the 32M Test. With eight cores (4 physical, 4 logical) to use for its processing and the best memory bandwidth, there should no dispute on why it’s the world’s fastest notebook.

The gaming performance on this system is blistering fast through my tests… it even received over 14,000 in 3Dmark06 right out of the box as well. With such an amazing CPU and RAM performance, the videocard might be considered the bottleneck… but all of the current and new games that I have tested did not miss a beat even at full 1920×1200 resolutions… including the poorly optimized Crysis (the outlier of videogame benchmarks). I do not think this system needs a second videocard (for SLI or Crossfire), especially since the gaming performance on it makes it one of the fastest in the mobile world already. Squeezing out a couple of more frames per second or a few more hundred 3Dmark points should not matter.

Overclocked i7-975 to 4.00GHz !!! …. not as stable as 3.90GHz OC though.

3DMark06 with a small overclock, it can definitely reach 16,000 if you push it a bit more.

As for the overclocking on this notebook, the CPU does not have any options to overclock through the BIOS, and most of the Intel X58 software available does not work with this notebook…yet. For the time being, I feel that there should be no need to overclock the CPU because (1) its already the fastest of CPUs found in notebooks and (2) the Core i7 is currently a very power hungry and hot CPU that needs to revised to decrease power consumption and heat. As for the graphics card, you have a lot of room to overclock the videocard since it stays at such low temperatures even at max load times. I was just playing with it and pushed the 3Dmark06 score past 16,000 easily. That should quench your gaming thirst.

UPDATE: Here is the post of me overclocking this beast to 4.0GHz with the Core i7-975.

Compatibility and Stability: (back to top)

The D900F is the first Clevo notebook that has stopped full support for the aged and still popular Windows XP. Clevo gives its full support for the current Windows Vista and the new Windows 7. I will go over the Windows XP (32-bit) support and stability in a bit.

Vista installed easily without any issues. The drivers on the CD also installed quite fast and made simple by the numerical order of the autorun menu. Everything ran perfect, the WEI (Windows Experience Index) was maxed at 5.9 for both RAID-0 and non-RAID hard drive setups. I did not have a single issue in drivers, programs, or games when testing within the Vista environment. Fast and stable, one cannot ask for anything more.

In the Windows 7 environment, it was surprisingly easy to install the OS itself and the drivers. There definitely will be more updated Win7 drivers to improve performance as it nears its shipping date, but as it stands, Windows 7 seems perfectly fine on the Clevo D900F. Gaming and overall usage was seamless and fast… also less annoying than Vista.

And for the Windows XP holdouts, Sager has been gracious enough to try and solve the ACPI issues when trying to install it. They [Xotic PC] have sent me a beta BIOS that seems to have it all working. I was able to install XP (32-bit) perfectly on RAID and non-RAID… of course I had to slipstream the AHCI/RAID drivers on the CD first using nLite (an amazing free tool to customize your XP installation). The odd quirk with the beta BIOS is that when installing XP, I found that the touchpad/mouse did not function while the keyboard did (which is more important anyways for the typing of the CD-Key and such). After it installed and booted into Windows, all was well (keyboard and pointing devices). I found the drivers for all of the devices painlessly (some of which were the same as the D901C XP drivers). Then I started to do some testing. It seems that XP still edges out Vista in gaming performance and even system benchmarking. Even though XP only sees ~3GB of memory, tests still show that the memory bandwidth from the triple channel DDR3 is still intact to boost XP performance that much more. So even though XP is not officially supported by Clevo, it is now possible to fully use XP natively in the Clevo D900F with a few steps.

D900F XP Drivers Here

If you want to use XP for non-gaming usage, then I would recommend doing either of the following simple and free methods:

• Get VirtualBox (free and amazing virtual machine software) for Vista or Windows 7, create a virtual machine and install XP in it. You will find that the CPU performance has no loss since you can enable VT-x (Virtualization) to let the virtual XP machine fully utilize your processor’s eight cores natively.

• If you are going to use Windows 7, there is a “XP Mode” feature that you can set for specific programs that are only XP compatible. I have tested it and it seems to be quite compatible and stable.

And YES, Linux fully works on it as well… just use the distros that are Intel X58 / Core i7 compatible, such as Fedora 11 and Ubuntu 9.

Conclusion (Final Thoughts): (back to top)

Without a doubt, this 17” gaming/mobile workstation system has shown me how far Clevo has pushed the envelope. It is a fully capable gaming notebook that can handle all of the games out there at high settings… even with only a single graphics card. Other systems with dual high-end graphics cards will play games better, but not by that much. However, the raw processing power for media, 2D, 3D (CAD, modeling), and video encoding would clearly make the Clevo D900F the perfect desktop/workstation replacement in a notebook form factor. With a starting price of around $2200 USD, the system is already faster than all of the other notebooks on the market. But for those that want the fastest in performance, they can go for broke and get the Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition for an additional ~$800.

A question that is beckoned to be answered is, “Who would really need such a notebook?” The answer is simple really… coming from personal experience. If you want to have desktop performance in a small and portable form factor, then these mobile workstation notebooks are the way to go… especially if you are like me and it is not practical to have a desktop because you are rarely in one place for a long time during the day… or you do not have the space for a full desktop in your room. With that said those that will want this notebook will probably be looking for top notch performance and the largest storage capacity all in a single system while also being able to transport it around in a notebook bag from place to place… unlike a desktop system with the similar specs that has a bulky case, LCD screen, mouse and keyboard.

You will not be disappointed with the Clevo D900F… it is the world’s fastest notebook. (…for now of course)

Pros:

• Fastest processor in a notebook (with the Intel Core i7)
• Unbeatably fast for doing everything, even gaming
• Lots of storage with up to three internal hard drives (SSD compatible)
• Very stable and compatible for all Operating Systems tested (Vista, 7, and XP)
• Great cooling system and pretty quiet as well
• Great build quality… very sturdy
• The design is very simple and professional

Cons:

• Core i7 CPU (130w) can reach past 90C degrees when all 8 cores are at full load
• Clevo could have included the fourth fan for the final models that are shipping
• The design can turn people (that want a more sexy looking notebook) away
• Makes me want to replace my 3-year old D900K, but I can’t afford it… dang.

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