Howdy folks!
I know that the NP3790 has been beaten to death. I'd just like to add my final words to it before I withdraw.
1) My system came with no dead/stuck pixels. I have the WSXGA+ and it is far more superior than other LCDs that I've seen. In my opinion, the top down angle of the LCD isn't good, but the left/right angle view of the screen is perfectly acceptable.
2) Keyboard, it's great. Very comfortable to type on. I don't know if all the keyboards are the same, but mine is also a little mushy on the left side. It is raised up so much that it left streaks of the key prints on to the monitor. No biggie, didn't think it was such a big deal since it comes right off. But, I took the precaution and went ahead and ordered a NuShield.(more on that in a bit)
3) I'm not sure if Sager( or clevo) has changed the bios settings, but I only have 2 options. Versus the 3 options that was mentioned way back when the 3790 was released. My options are simple: 1) Max battery performance. (which keeps my system at 600mhz no matter what.) 2) Max performance. (which allows speed step. And yes, Mobmeter DOES detect the stepping in realtime. This is the option I run on all the time.) Also, if it is worthy of a note, I'm running off WinXP with SP2 integrated. So someone with no SP2 and also own the same bios options as I do(one with only 2 options) verify whether or not the speedstep works without sp2
4) The fans are not an issue to me. I do noticed that the left portion of the system can get considerably hot after extensive gaming.(ie UT2k4 on all its glory at 1680x1050) The fans do go on quite a bit if video is used or hard drive is used. But I must point out that the video card sits right above the harddrive to the upper left of the system. Hard Drive and Video Card are both heat monsters... I can feel one of the prong of the VGA out to be VERY hot when I do rigorous gaming. Fans go on, I'm happy. At least my system is keeping itself cool.(smart
)
5) Not many people talk about the camera. It is not bad actually. Only problem is that it requires a lot of light AT THE RIGHT ANGLE. Other than that, I must compliment that this webcam is very good at picking up the tiniest detail, as in very crisp pictures. Also note that some of you may smear the camera lense when opening the LCD lid as the thing sits RIGHT in the center of the LCD, which is where most people would jam their thumb to open the lid.
6) The quick launch buttons DO become a hassle if you carry your laptops around (while on) and download something. It's annoying if you accidentally hit the wifi button, that just shuts down your wireless internet. The Home Page quick button is also very annoying... While browsing the web and you are on a good page... you accidentially hit the Home Page button, it will NOT open a new browser, but rather steals your current browser and bring you to the home page.... LAME! I'd like it A LOT more if it gives me a new browser... The only button I find VERY convenient is the email button. I use it A LOT to bring up the outlook window. Also note that tweakUI has the abillity to manipulate the quick launch buttons. Not sure, but one of our forumers here spoke of it.
7) The Function buttons are a bit too far from the "Fn" key in my opinion. For example, it is impossible for me to simultaneously hit the "Fn" key and the "F12" key (to turn up the volume) as they are on opposite corners of the keyboard! I'd appreciate it A LOT more if they are all placed on the F1-F8 keys... That way I can do most of the secondary function keys using just my left hand. Stupid design if you ask me.
8) The blend in num pad is a nifty design. I don't use it that often, but it feels pretty comfortable when I use it.
9) I LOVE the touch pad. Scroll vertical. Scroll horizontal. 4 corners makes 4 quick buttons. For example, I set up the upper left corner of the touch pad to be the "back" function and the upper right corner to be the foward function. Lower left for "Stop" and lower right for "home page." Extremely convenient as I don't have to slide my fingers on the touch pad to reach the back or forward or stop or home button while browsing the web. Just one tap = instant access.
10) With all due respect to Mayaman2, this thing is quite heavy... Or may be I'm just a weakling... Either way, It's a pain to carry in a hand bag. Although, it's not that bad in your back pack. But I must warn that, for extensive carrying on your back(3+ hours) shoulder aching will kick in.
11) The 12 cell battery is a BEAUTY. I don't care what people say... because I once was them. I despise the "pregnant whale" look, but once I said, "hell with it, I need the extra battery life" I'm glad I did. There are two fan holes on the bottom of the laptop. I don't know about you, but I'd like to keep those suckers OPEN and WELL VENTED. The 12 cell does JUST that and more for my pocket. I didn't have to shell out 19.99 for a thing that would prop my laptop up... Also note that it props up not very high, which is GOOD, it's just at the right height for comfortable typing, air venting, and of course gaming.
12) The Mic works great. I played counter strike with people and they all heard me crystal clear. Tested with low voice and high voice too.(as in I spok loud or tiny)
13) Oh yea, this is more like a tip. The power button... remember to set it to "ASK YOU WHAT TO DO" when it is pressed. VERY ANNOYING when friends hit it for fun to kick you into stand by mode. Also the LCD shut off little auto switch right above the power button.... SET "WHEN I CLOSE MY LAPTOP" to DO NOTHING... That way, you can just shut the lid to conserve battery while waiting for a download. It also prevents your friend from being annoying by poking a pen/pencil into it to kick you into stand by.
14) The sound department is like any other laptops. But with the help of DFX, it works wonders.
15) The Clevo Mail LED is VERY VERY good in my opinion. I have POP3 mail and it blinks when I have new mail. Very good when I'm waiting for an email... I don't have to constantly check my mail. It will alert me when I have it... visually and not audibly(sp?).
16) The headphone out jack works wonders with my Altec Lansing 5.1 system(which has loop back when on stereo sound). NO BASS LOSS.(NOT on laptop speakers to make the point clear)
17) The NuShield. Just got it today. Installed it like 20 minutes ago. IT IS A PAIN IN THE ARSE TO INSTALL W/ OUT GLOVES LIKE DRAW SUGGESTED... I like the way it makes my screen look. Very comparable to Xbrite. COMPLAINT: The shield is too small! It only slides into the side like 2-3 mm.... It is easy to slide in one direction and expose the original screen on other side. TIP: To avoid sliding NuShield, dab at the screen thoroughly to make sure it is FLAT onto your screen. More places touching the screen = friction = less sliding. Also FLAT = no wattery look = no bulging head reflection. It took me a while, but I think this can be considered a perfectly installed. It looks like it's a built in product. Part of the screen.
18) The system is STABLE. I left it on for download with a bunch of other softwares running for 2-3 days straight(interjected with some hours of gaming), perfectly fine in the end.(I felt sorry for it, so I turned it off :P)
19) While playing First Person Shooter games, if you have Space Bar to be jump... You may accidentally minimize your game and open up "My Computer." At which point, you'd probably die already in the game LOL. This is due to the shorten space bar on the left. No biggie for me because I always tilt my keyboard a little bit like the backward slash, in which case, my thumb rests fine on the space bar.
20) Unlike Dell and their arrangement of the Home/End/PgUp/PgDn... etc keys like the desktop keyboards. Sager has their keys along side the right side of the keyboard. Will need to get used to.
There... After typing all these up, I felt like it's more or less a review... lol. I intended to only warn and give tips to others looking at 3790. Any how, I hope this helps. All the complaints I have are all design flaws. As in certain features are more of an annoyance and not well placed keys... Some of the hardware complaints are just heads up, I consider them completely tolerable. So my system in itself, as it's meant to be, is flawless, imo.
I know that the NP3790 has been beaten to death. I'd just like to add my final words to it before I withdraw.
1) My system came with no dead/stuck pixels. I have the WSXGA+ and it is far more superior than other LCDs that I've seen. In my opinion, the top down angle of the LCD isn't good, but the left/right angle view of the screen is perfectly acceptable.
2) Keyboard, it's great. Very comfortable to type on. I don't know if all the keyboards are the same, but mine is also a little mushy on the left side. It is raised up so much that it left streaks of the key prints on to the monitor. No biggie, didn't think it was such a big deal since it comes right off. But, I took the precaution and went ahead and ordered a NuShield.(more on that in a bit)
3) I'm not sure if Sager( or clevo) has changed the bios settings, but I only have 2 options. Versus the 3 options that was mentioned way back when the 3790 was released. My options are simple: 1) Max battery performance. (which keeps my system at 600mhz no matter what.) 2) Max performance. (which allows speed step. And yes, Mobmeter DOES detect the stepping in realtime. This is the option I run on all the time.) Also, if it is worthy of a note, I'm running off WinXP with SP2 integrated. So someone with no SP2 and also own the same bios options as I do(one with only 2 options) verify whether or not the speedstep works without sp2
4) The fans are not an issue to me. I do noticed that the left portion of the system can get considerably hot after extensive gaming.(ie UT2k4 on all its glory at 1680x1050) The fans do go on quite a bit if video is used or hard drive is used. But I must point out that the video card sits right above the harddrive to the upper left of the system. Hard Drive and Video Card are both heat monsters... I can feel one of the prong of the VGA out to be VERY hot when I do rigorous gaming. Fans go on, I'm happy. At least my system is keeping itself cool.(smart
)5) Not many people talk about the camera. It is not bad actually. Only problem is that it requires a lot of light AT THE RIGHT ANGLE. Other than that, I must compliment that this webcam is very good at picking up the tiniest detail, as in very crisp pictures. Also note that some of you may smear the camera lense when opening the LCD lid as the thing sits RIGHT in the center of the LCD, which is where most people would jam their thumb to open the lid.
6) The quick launch buttons DO become a hassle if you carry your laptops around (while on) and download something. It's annoying if you accidentally hit the wifi button, that just shuts down your wireless internet. The Home Page quick button is also very annoying... While browsing the web and you are on a good page... you accidentially hit the Home Page button, it will NOT open a new browser, but rather steals your current browser and bring you to the home page.... LAME! I'd like it A LOT more if it gives me a new browser... The only button I find VERY convenient is the email button. I use it A LOT to bring up the outlook window. Also note that tweakUI has the abillity to manipulate the quick launch buttons. Not sure, but one of our forumers here spoke of it.
7) The Function buttons are a bit too far from the "Fn" key in my opinion. For example, it is impossible for me to simultaneously hit the "Fn" key and the "F12" key (to turn up the volume) as they are on opposite corners of the keyboard! I'd appreciate it A LOT more if they are all placed on the F1-F8 keys... That way I can do most of the secondary function keys using just my left hand. Stupid design if you ask me.
8) The blend in num pad is a nifty design. I don't use it that often, but it feels pretty comfortable when I use it.
9) I LOVE the touch pad. Scroll vertical. Scroll horizontal. 4 corners makes 4 quick buttons. For example, I set up the upper left corner of the touch pad to be the "back" function and the upper right corner to be the foward function. Lower left for "Stop" and lower right for "home page." Extremely convenient as I don't have to slide my fingers on the touch pad to reach the back or forward or stop or home button while browsing the web. Just one tap = instant access.
10) With all due respect to Mayaman2, this thing is quite heavy... Or may be I'm just a weakling... Either way, It's a pain to carry in a hand bag. Although, it's not that bad in your back pack. But I must warn that, for extensive carrying on your back(3+ hours) shoulder aching will kick in.
11) The 12 cell battery is a BEAUTY. I don't care what people say... because I once was them. I despise the "pregnant whale" look, but once I said, "hell with it, I need the extra battery life" I'm glad I did. There are two fan holes on the bottom of the laptop. I don't know about you, but I'd like to keep those suckers OPEN and WELL VENTED. The 12 cell does JUST that and more for my pocket. I didn't have to shell out 19.99 for a thing that would prop my laptop up... Also note that it props up not very high, which is GOOD, it's just at the right height for comfortable typing, air venting, and of course gaming.
12) The Mic works great. I played counter strike with people and they all heard me crystal clear. Tested with low voice and high voice too.(as in I spok loud or tiny)
13) Oh yea, this is more like a tip. The power button... remember to set it to "ASK YOU WHAT TO DO" when it is pressed. VERY ANNOYING when friends hit it for fun to kick you into stand by mode. Also the LCD shut off little auto switch right above the power button.... SET "WHEN I CLOSE MY LAPTOP" to DO NOTHING... That way, you can just shut the lid to conserve battery while waiting for a download. It also prevents your friend from being annoying by poking a pen/pencil into it to kick you into stand by.
14) The sound department is like any other laptops. But with the help of DFX, it works wonders.
15) The Clevo Mail LED is VERY VERY good in my opinion. I have POP3 mail and it blinks when I have new mail. Very good when I'm waiting for an email... I don't have to constantly check my mail. It will alert me when I have it... visually and not audibly(sp?).
16) The headphone out jack works wonders with my Altec Lansing 5.1 system(which has loop back when on stereo sound). NO BASS LOSS.(NOT on laptop speakers to make the point clear)
17) The NuShield. Just got it today. Installed it like 20 minutes ago. IT IS A PAIN IN THE ARSE TO INSTALL W/ OUT GLOVES LIKE DRAW SUGGESTED... I like the way it makes my screen look. Very comparable to Xbrite. COMPLAINT: The shield is too small! It only slides into the side like 2-3 mm.... It is easy to slide in one direction and expose the original screen on other side. TIP: To avoid sliding NuShield, dab at the screen thoroughly to make sure it is FLAT onto your screen. More places touching the screen = friction = less sliding. Also FLAT = no wattery look = no bulging head reflection. It took me a while, but I think this can be considered a perfectly installed. It looks like it's a built in product. Part of the screen.
18) The system is STABLE. I left it on for download with a bunch of other softwares running for 2-3 days straight(interjected with some hours of gaming), perfectly fine in the end.(I felt sorry for it, so I turned it off :P)
19) While playing First Person Shooter games, if you have Space Bar to be jump... You may accidentally minimize your game and open up "My Computer." At which point, you'd probably die already in the game LOL. This is due to the shorten space bar on the left. No biggie for me because I always tilt my keyboard a little bit like the backward slash, in which case, my thumb rests fine on the space bar.
20) Unlike Dell and their arrangement of the Home/End/PgUp/PgDn... etc keys like the desktop keyboards. Sager has their keys along side the right side of the keyboard. Will need to get used to.
There... After typing all these up, I felt like it's more or less a review... lol. I intended to only warn and give tips to others looking at 3790. Any how, I hope this helps. All the complaints I have are all design flaws. As in certain features are more of an annoyance and not well placed keys... Some of the hardware complaints are just heads up, I consider them completely tolerable. So my system in itself, as it's meant to be, is flawless, imo.
) may be a Sager... however many updates of the 3790.
