AVADirect's Clevo B5130M: GeForce GT 425M with a 15.6" 1080p Chaser
by Dustin Sklavos on November 23, 2010 12:00 AM ESTConclusion: Good but not Great
At the end of the day, feelings about the Clevo B5130M are somewhat mixed but mostly positive. Jarred was interested in seeing how the notebook would compete with the Dell XPS 15, and unfortunately it has trouble keeping up.
We'll get the bad out of the way first: the build quality still is on the weaker side. This is a Clevo problem, as their notebooks just tend to feel cheap. Clevo clearly spends more time working on the hardware, so design winds up being almost an afterthought. Using glossy plastic in just one place but having that one place be the worst place to put it doesn't really help. Battery life isn't stellar either. And then there's that keyboard. In fairness, it doesn't really flex (which makes the regular part of the keyboard usable), but that 10-key absolutely has to go. It brings nothing to the table, but takes things away.
That said, the screen is among the best we've reviewed and for once that actually means something. The B5130M may be a big chunk of plastic power, but it's still for the most part enjoyable to use. USB 3.0 connectivity is included, and overall performance—at least for our review unit—is excellent. The thermals are frankly stellar compared to other notebooks, too. We might like to see a faster GPU, but odds are good with the kind of thermal headroom the B5130M has that overclocking the NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M may not be out of the question.
Finally getting to really put the Intel Core i7-640M through its paces was useful, too: mobile users looking for a lot of threaded performance can definitely get away with using this fast dual-core instead of trying to track down a machine with a 720QM or better. Of course, with Sandy Bridge coming, soon you'll be able to have your cake and eat it too (we hope).
If Dell had never released the XPS 15, this Clevo unit would probably have garnered an Editors' Choice award. It has a solid value proposition and brings a lot to the table. The problem is that Dell did release the XPS 15, and it consistently does everything else just a little bit better. Dell's 1080p screen may be a $150 upgrade, but the XPS 15 starts with comparable specs and a lower price, and the difference winds up being a wash. Dell also lets you upgrade the XPS 15 with a 740QM or better and offers a faster GPU in the form of the GeForce GT 435M, and the XPS' JBL speaker system easily trumps the Clevo speakers.
Ultimately, we would encourage consumers to comparison shop between the two notebooks. The B5130M is one of the better Clevo units we've tested, and ordering from AVADirect gets you worlds more flexibility with the components you can configure the system with along with the better customer service that can come from going with a smaller vendor. We know plenty of readers disliked the Dell aesthetics, and perhaps the Clevo system will win a few points there.
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Hrel - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
You said if you want to up performance AND have storage capacity you'd have to spend 500+ on an SSD. But Clevo offers the Seagate Momentus XT all the way up to 500GB. Based on your review I gather that hard drive is plenty fast AND much better bang/buck. SSD's are still WAY too expensive for most people. Personally I simply refuse to spend more than 100 bucks on any single hard drive, no matter what the speed is.I've said it before, when something good like the sandforce controller is paired with 128GB ish of storage capacity for less than 100 bucks, that's when I'll take the SSD plunge.
P.S. Personally, I like the look of the glossy around the screen. I'm not sure why you hate it so much, I guess I just don't open laptops in a way that my fingerprints end up there. I'm just glad the palm rest isn't glossy.
Hrel - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
Done: Well I'm sold. Dell forces you to upgrade the CPU, even if you don't want to, if you upgrade the GPU. That pisses me off AND it's stupid in no small part because they claim it's a "compatibility issue". I'm impressed with the performance numbers here, and the screen. I like the thermal headroom and would probably overclock the GPU a little. I do wish the speakers were better, like in the Dell. In the end I think this offers a better Bang for Buck ratio.I asked several times for you guys to review the Clevo unit Cyberpower.com sells, I asked them to let you review it too. My friend ended up buying it, the screen looks a lot better than my 1.5 year old Dell Stuido screen, 1080p. Has the HD5650 in it, a Core i5 560M. The thing lasts 4 hours while he's playing Civ 5 on it. It's CRAZY hot though. All in all I think this Clevo unit is the new best bang for buck laptop out there. I like that the GPU is Nvidia instead of AMD cause my video rendering is sped up my Nvidia, but Cyberlink doesn't support AMD. And Optimus is always good. I do really wish you guys could get one of those in house though from Cyberpower. The design of that one is glossy and worse than this one; not a deal breaker though. I kinda like the minimalist design of this laptop.
Finally, I like that avadirect offers the Momentus XT out the gate. Cyberpower doesn't so we had to buy one and swap hard drives then re-install everything. Anyway, I've carried on too long now, Great review!
Hrel - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
I meant compal from cyberpower, not Clevo.JarredWalton - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
I've sent in another request... with SB coming so soon, we may or may not get a chance to look at the Compal, but we shall see.coldfoot - Wednesday, December 1, 2010 - link
Jarred, why not the Asus N53Jf-XE1? It's just over $1k at Amazon, and has the same screen and GPU as this laptop.Hrel - Saturday, December 4, 2010 - link
I agree, that laptop is 999 on newegg and it looks pretty amazing. Includes blu ray for under 1K? Wow. Jarred, you know if you guys ever need any help reviewing stuff I'm available, haha, but seriously.Diosjenin - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
Since I'm writing this from my B5130M (Sager-branded as an NP5135), I suppose I'll throw in a few thoughts re: comparison to the XPS 15.* Yes, the numpad sucks. But this is in comparison to the XPS 15, which doesn't HAVE a numpad. If having one is a must for anyone, regardless of the specifics of its implementation, then the Clevo wins, period.
* Port placement along the Clevo is unquestionably better. The ports on the XPS 15 are spread out all over the place, whereas all but the DC port (rear) and a single USB 2.0 port (right) are along the left side - a godsend to any right-handed users who connect any external drives/monitors/etc. and don't want wires getting in their way while they're using the mouse next to the right side of the laptop.
* If memory serves, the Clevo is about half a pound lighter, as well as a quarter to half an inch smaller in both width and depth.
* The screen is beautiful, but could definitely stand a matte plastic border (as you well noted).
* I'm not sure where you got your price figures from, but I have to say that I got mine far cheaper. I only have an i5-460M, but with a 1080p screen and 500GB hard drive, mine only cost ~$844 (before shipping, which was an extra $28). Considering that was an extra ~$75 less than an equivalently specced XPS 15 (which was itself discounted about 9%), the choice for me was quite simple. I'm rather curious to know if your $930 base price figure comes from Clevo or somewhere else...?
Diosjenin - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
"Edit": Re-read the article a bit more closely; I assume the price comes from AVADirect (though do correct me if I'm wrong). So I went back to my vendor (XoticPC): base price of $769.00, price as yours is configured of $1044.00.http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np5125-built-clevo-b1...
Hrel - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
Their price also probably included an OS, which I always take out so I can do it myself.Diosjenin - Tuesday, November 23, 2010 - link
Yeah, first thing I do to a new PC is wipe it, too. :PEven if I *do* include 64-bit Home Premium with the XoticPC configuration, though, it *still* holds a ~$75 lead over the equivalent AVADirect...