stealthmaster

I have the opportunity through a retailer to either get an extended warranty for parts/labor (which does not cover accidents) or, instead, I could buy a full insurance policy for my laptop. Full insurance coverage costs a lot more (2.5 times as much), but will provide replacement cost coverage with accidental protection rather than having to sit around without a laptop while shipping it back to the manufacturer, hoping they can fix it, and ship it back. The insurance policy I was looking at is through the Worth Ave Group, and the extended warranty I would be considering is through XoticPC/Sager. Does anyone have any experience working with either of these companies or an opinion on which might be the best option in the long run (over the next three years)? Thanks!

I'm very close to making my decision to purchase the Sager 9380-S. Can anyone verify if the Thunderbolt port can be used for delivering video to an extra monitor (with an adapter) at 120hz 1080p,or if 3D video is possible via this method of output (or the HDMI port). Thanks!

UPDATE

Just got an update from XoticPC support:

So something is supposedly in the works...

@stealthmaster - I just say flash your vbios and then flash back to factory before sending in for warranty work if the something goes bad during warranty period.

Any update on this? I'm still debating going through XoticPC for their 3 yr warranty (possibly w/ accidental LCD damage), or spending another $150 for a full insurance policy... two 780's in SLI are not cheap to replace.

Thanks for the responses guys, I asked XoticPC a few days ago and they replied that Sager had told them the laptop was incapable of outputting 3D video. I assume this might be due to the video outputs going through the integrated graphics, or perhaps Sager is just wrong about their own product since they claimed the internal display (the screen) cannot do 3D video either...

UPDATE

Just got an update from XoticPC support:

So something is supposedly in the works...

@stealthmaster - I just say flash your vbios and then flash back to factory before sending in for warranty work if the something goes bad during warranty period.

It's interesting how I just e-mailed XoticPC and the sales person who responded seemed entirely oblivious to the issue. I think that Sager can tell if you've reflashed your vBIOS from the original vBIOS given what I was reading elsewhere (as far as making it look like I never voided the warranty). Plus, if the card actually fries, or the motherboard for example, I'd have no way of flashing it (which would probably be the first thing to ever break). I'm excited to hear what they have to say nonetheless.

You're definitely on the right track. With overclocked 780M in sli you get significantly more performance than Titan, have a look at the benchmark scores in this thread:

*OFFICIAL* Alienware M18xR1/R2/18 Benchmark Thread - Part 3

Possible that you might need to flash a modified VBIOS to the 780M in order to unleash it's true potential.

Awesome, thank you for your response, Robbo. I know that building desktops in the past has given me a sort of warm fuzzy feeling inside in getting the best performance per dollar and knowing exactly which quality parts go into the rig. However, there are times when I really need portability and when I desire to be able to relax in other locations. I recently have considered the possibility of even constructing something like a laptop, with only a keyboard/display and USB hub for a mouse, to connect directly to a desktop nearby...

I am looking at getting NP9380-S as well, does anyone know if the Thunderbolt port can be used for 120hz 3D output with the appropriate Thunderbolt display adapter? It is my understanding that the HDMI 1.4a (which is the version for the hdmi port on this model) standard only supports a much lower refresh rate for 3D output at 1080p.

I'm still on the verge of getting this laptop through XoticPC, however, has anyone purchased a (Clevo-based) laptop from HIDEvolution? My thought is that I would get this laptop, flash the vBIOS myself (voiding the warranty) and get something like a three-year insurance policy (possibly with the Worth Ave Group) on the laptop since it's a lot of money to risk if any parts break which are no longer covered by the Sager warranty. Any thoughts on this approach?

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. Recently I have been torn between building a high-end desktop and buying a high-end laptop. I would really like to have more portability and the ability to relax on a couch or chair, rather than be restricted to my desk since I generally am at a desk during the day developing software. The laptop I am considering is a Clevo p370sm with two 780m gpus in SLI. My goal is to be able to play most games (I understand not all games are optimized for SLI) at maximum settings with 3d vision turned on, although full anti-aliasing is something I can live without. Is the Clevo I'm looking at the best means of doing this, or would I be better off scaling down to a less expensive (and more portable) laptop/gpu and investing in an eGPU solution? Thanks in advance!

Is everyone who recently purchased this laptop comfortable with voiding their warranty? Isn't the lemon law supposed to protect consumers from this sort of irresponsibility on the part of Sager/Clevo? It seems like Clevo is ultimately not addressing the issue, I'm not even sure that Sager or any other company produces their own custom vBIOS for Clevo laptops.

Would anyone recommend the Clevo p370sm? I'm looking to get one with two 780m in SLI for 'Titan-like' performance. I want to max out games with 3d vision turned on if possible, although I am willing to sacrifice anti-aliasing (i.e. turning it off) in order to achieve this. Am I on the right track?

This looks like an awesome project, I will be happy to test with my p370sm3 when it arrives from HIDevolution.

Which operating system are you using? A possible fix was detailed on this forum: Sager np9380 Hotkey driver problems (.NET Mainframe) I am considering this laptop, however, I cannot verify the issue or that this fix works just yet.