ok the artifact problem is really pissing me off now. how do i get my laptop serviced from japan. any advice?

IM sent re: servicing from Japan (via Taiwan). I'll send a mail/PM/IM later w/ more info when I have more time, Ifrit 「ちょっと　がまん　してね！」

I have to say that I went into buying mine w/ my eyes wide open, but that doesn't include thinking that there would be a possible system defect in the works. In all my research, I hadn't seen any similar problems from previous Sager/Clevo models, so it doesn't matter how wide open my eyes were- they weren't ready for this.

G's got a very valid point and I would imagine that it's a huge part of the deal. But like I said, that's me imagining. I've never cleaned out my Sony and I've had it for going on almost 4 years. Never. Now if the 8790 requires a monthly cleaning at minimum, perhaps that should've been something that was stated at the time of purchase (although I know that was most likely not possible being that the unit was new, so they didn't know how it'd perform over the long run). I did clean out the 8790, though- I never treated it like the Sony. Anyway, this seems to be too serious of a problem for too many people for it to be ignored (other than motherboard replacements whilest under warranty). I know my 1 year is now up so I'm out serious money if this happens again (which it might be- I'm still unsure of whether or not mine was fixed in the first place). Warrantech made it clear to me that I pay for the repairs and then they will reimburse me if they feel it's covered. I'm not impressed so far with my limited contact with Warrantech so far.

I, too, would like to see Sager and/or Clevo address this issue. I, for one, am too scared to even play demanding games for any period of time. The only game I've played for any amount of time since I got my machine back's been Civilization III (and I can play that on my Sony VAIO 700mhz). I'm not sure what to suggest, really. If everyone's serious about this, then do as Jetino did and write a factual, informative letter in regards to what's happened to your machine. Only then will anything happen. If we sit here and grouse about it amongst ourselves, most likely nothing will happen. We've got to make it happen if that's what we want.

ive been following this thread for a while, and i have to say that im in this artifacting club too.
i take very much care of my laptop, and now it seems to be heavily artifacting with mostly Direct X games, opengl hasnt given me problems as soon as D3D has. i dunno whats wrong with it, but its really beginning to get annoying. i'm in school right now, so i dont really ahve two weeks to spend waiting for my computer to return.

at this rate, i'll just sell it off to someone on e-bay this summer and get another computer.

there has to be an easier solution then to sending it back. i love this machine for all it can do and it sucks to have them [sager] not be able to do anything but replace stuff.
(though i'm still thankful they're doing that ^_^)

You know what guys, its great that a lot of us want to get to the bottom of why some people are experiencing the artifacting problem and why some are not. But the fact is, a considerable number of us are. And there is no way in this lifetime that everyone who is experiencing the problem is doing something so extraordinary with their units that Sager has an excuse to ignore this issue. Let's face it, there's a very high probability that its a design issue and the people at Sager should be the ones who are wondering why a lot of us are having similar problems. Honestly, I find a lot of people on this forum to be so nice that they're trying to find a solution on their own. This is great, because most problems presented in this forum are eventually solved through the kindness and wisdom of those who care to share their two cents. However, there comes a point when it is obvious that certain issues need to be elevated and Sager needs to take responsibility.

This is America ... we paid for the units, they made a decent profit from us, and they should be holding up their end of the bargain. Customers should not be left to eat the amount they invested for a product they had reasonable expectations from. Heck, I've seen less serious stuff that other companies have legally settled over (I remember Toshiba legally settling something with their customers over the speed of a cd drive that they had installed with their laptops). This artifacting issue is a lot more serious. Eventually, my unit started artifacting even without going through any 3d games. So I don't believe anybody is truly safe from the graphics card eventually conking out on them.

But anyway, everyone who is complaining on this thread should really send a separate message to Sager and give them a nudge to get their act together. I'm pretty sure they'll eventually come around and give a more permanent and acceptable solution. They really shouldn't wait for people to get really pissed when their warranties run out and eventually get pushed to take legal action. And believe me, nobody wants this issue to get that far. Especially when Sager is perfectly aware (nudge to everyone ... let Sager know how dissatisfied you are and send them a message! And afterwards, perhaps sound off on this thread to keep everyone updated of exactly how many of us have actually made a formal complaint to them) and still in a great position to resolve the problem.

On that note, enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone!

Patience is a virtue that I ran out of a long time ago Friedtoast. I really hope my computer lasts through this year because my financial state is not as good as it should be right now and I can't afford a complete replacement until late next year. My warranty runs out in 2 weeks, and I do have the Warrantech extended warranty. I just don't know how they work.

You won't be happy about how the Warrantech warranty works. It requires out-of-pocket expenses. You send it in, get it fixed and then send the invoice to Warrantech. And having already prices a motherboard (~US$1500 here in Japan), I know that puts most of us out of the game in regards to getting anything fixed.

Thats right! "Your anger is a GIFT" -RATM

"So raise your fist and march around - and go take what you need!" -RATM

yeah, we should all start sending emails. They dont have to be revolutionary or editorials like Jetino's... but just pester them. heh.

Since when did a computer need a monthly cleaning? I've cleaned mine... say... 4 times since I got it. So thats once every 3 months. maybe more, because it hasn't been a year yet.

I ALWAYS play with the fans on HIGH... like overdrive high. I just play music to drown out the sound. So far I haven't had any contact with SAGER; what email do i send to, and what information regarding my laptop do i have to give to prove that i'm a customer with a problem?

thanks all.

oh yeah and the eyes wide open thing; yeah i was aware that i was buying the latest and greatest of technology available to laptops at the time of purchase.

no i wasnt aware that it wouldn't work as promised one year from purchase date. its a computer; it should always be able to do what you ask it to - just much slower as time passes. this is a defect; it has *broken down*.

don't blame it on the software you shoot at it.

edit:

PCtorque emailed - twice. they didn't get back to me the first time.
Clevo emailed - all emails Fried Toast gave me
Sager emailed - webtechsupport

Since I don't have an invoice number/warranty papers, I'm in a bit of a bind. But emails away!

I had several problems with my 8790 and finally got my money back. It was at Sager more than with me and they never were able to fix it. I had all of the common problems but mine occured early on.

I spoke with PC Torque and they were very helpful. Basically, I told them that I was done with the 8790 and wanted my money back. I had Daniel at Sager on speed dial and did not feel that that was right. Maybe they will do that for others.

The 8790 has flaws. Sager just buys them from Clevo and clevo is making newer models which means that they are not focused on the 8790 anymore. It has problems and will continue to have problems. Once your warranty is expired you will be stuck holding the bag.

I bought another laptop from another company. I will not drop names. Their customer service has been great. The laptop's performance has been great and I don't have to pay for shipping back and forth in case something happens. (Shipping added another ~$400 to the price of my 8790 by the time it was all said and done.)

If you want to save yourself the pain, get rid of your 8790 asap while you still have a warranty and a leg to stand on. Get your money back, run away, and run fast.

-S

thats pretty alarmist.

i think im going to sell this one once i get the RMA filled out and buy a newer ver. clevo. i still don't mind these comps that much.

I got my 8790 back today, decided to celebrate by playing some Guild Wars. About 30 minutes into the game, I notice little green flashes sometimes in the snow. Looks like the artifacting...

I had the back propped up about half an inch to hopefully encourage good air circulation under the thing.

What do I do... now? I just spent $150 in postage to get the laptop back so I could enjoy a bit of gaming over spring break... I really was not expecting this to happen. Well, maybe I was dreading it, and that's why I noticed the first bits of artifact...

See my "alarmist" post.

You kept the box didn't you?

-S

Always gotta keep the box. Especially us 8790 owners. Ought to be a line on the invoice that states that the box must be kept at all times.

I've sent three follow-up emails to Sager in order to get a response from them while following up my RMA. They say that someone from the technical dept. should reply ASAP (but this was last Friday). I spoke with Shaun at PC Torque yesterday and he claims that Sager is currently trying to figure out the artifacting problem. He has promised to keep me updated on any feedback from Sager. Hopefully they come up with an acceptable solution.

Everyone please continue to pester them regarding this so that they make this a top priority.

wierd...
ive noticed two types of artifacting with my 8790...
i'm running 3.2 prescott
sager drivers, updated bios, no OC
1gig
lapcool2 cooling pad underneath

i think it has something to do with the Direct X...
when i run a game such as battlefield 1942, it would take like maybe 30 min before the gpu would heat up to the point where it articfacts, then i would quit the game and still get artifacts all over my desktop, internet, what have you..

HOWEVER, when i run a game like jedi knight II, or starwars republic commando, i would get artifacts after a certian amount of time. BUT, when i quit the game, i would not get any other artifacts in windows...

i think it has something to do with D3D, cause i know microsoft/windows runs alot of D3D and therefore would cause the artifacts to stay on windows after, Open GL, on the other hand, isnt implemented in windows as much (if at all) and so does not lead to the browser/desktop artifacts...

i dunno, correct me if i'm wrong. just some ideas for PC TORQUE and/or SAGER to look into.

when it all comes down to it, it dosent artifact till the gpu gets hot (around the 123qwe area).
maybe D3D causes the gpu to heat up much much faster?

and i agree with jetino, keep pressing them to fix this problem. i paid like 2.5k for this great machine, and i dont want to waste anymore...

as soon as you realize that your machine is completely broken and is not supposed to work like that, you'll be a step closer to the RMA. I tried everything before sending it to sager, but it was useless. Good thing the new replaced mother board works pefectly, with no artifacts no matter what or how long I play