AVADIRECT CLEVO M980NU REVIEW

The 18.4 inch Clevo M980NU gaming notebook is armed with an Intel quad-core processor and dual Nvidia GTX 280M GPUs. This monster can be configured with up to 3 hard drives for fast booting and additional storage. Prices start at $2,100.

AVADirect Clevo M980NU Specifications:

Operating System: Windows Vista Ultimate (SP2, 64-bit)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 (2.53GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 12MB Cache)
Display: 18.4" WUXGA HD LCD display at 1920x1080
Graphics: Two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M 1GB GDDR3 memory
Memory: 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 (2GB x 2)
Weight: 12.5lbs
Price as configured: $4,466

Build and Design
In design, the Clevo M980NU looks neat and elegant. A remarkable design feature of this notebook is the nice mirror finish which covers the back of the display and areas around the keyboard. The screen lid comes in metallic grey. There is a centered backlit logo on the top edge.

The chassis is built of good quality plastic. Build quality is superb. The machine shows absolutely no flex at all. Another useful design element is the easy access panels for all user-upgradable parts.

Screen and Speakers
The M980NU comes with a WUXGA 16:9 1920x1080 display. The display offers excellent color saturation and good viewing angles. Colors look bright and lively.
Despite the presence of an onboard subwoofer, the speaker performance isn’t very impressive. Peak volume levels are fine, but external speakers or headphones are necessary for listening to audio. A useful feature is that the notebook has outputs for most audio systems such as analog line-out, coaxial digital out and HDMI out.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The M980NU has a full-size keyboard. Clevo has also managed to fit programmable macro keys next to the keyboard. The keyboard offers average support, but it is comfortable to type on. The touchpad is a Synaptics model. It has a borderless design which might take a while to get used to. The touchpad offers good feedback. Sensitivity is also good.

Ports and Features
Port selection is adequate. There are three USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA/USB combo port, Firewire, LAN, CATV, four audio jacks, DVI-out and HDMI-out. For expansion there is an SDHC-card reader and ExpressCard/54 slot.

Performance
Performance is excellent. The machine can handle just about anything you throw at it. You can play every modern game. Another advantage is the fast storage system which consists of two SSDs in RAID 0 and a third 7200rpm drive for additional storage. Boot times are fast and games load in less than no time. The quad-core processor can also handle multiple HD videos simultaneously.

Heat and Noise
Heat levels remain normal even during heavy gaming, but the noise levels tend to go above average.

Battery Life
At a little above 1 hour, the battery life is pretty average. But this is hardly surprising given the high-end processor and dual graphics cards.

Pros:
Great display
Phenomenal gaming performance
Attractive design

Cons:
Poor battery life
Noisy